Resistive MHD simulations of Ganymede's magnetosphere 2. Birkeland currents and particle energetics

Details Resistive MHD simulations of Ganymede's magnetosphere 2. Birkeland currents and particle energetics Resistive MHD simulations of Ganymede's magnetosphere 2. Birkeland currents and particle energetics

Dec 2002

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002jgra..107.1491i&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research (Space Physics), Volume 107, Issue A12, pp. SMP 42-1, CiteID 1491, DOI 10.1029/2001JA005072

Physics

Plasma Physics

9

Planetology: Fluid Planets: Magnetospheres (2756), Planetology: Solar System Objects: Jovian Satellites, Space Plasma Physics: Kinetic And Mhd Theory, Space Plasma Physics: Numerical Simulation Studies

Scientific paper

The Birkeland current flows generated by Ganymede's magnetospheric interaction with the Jovian magnetosphere are simulated by using a resistive MHD code. The total field-aligned current is estimated to be I∥ ~ 6.6 × 105 A. The power delivered to the Jovian auroral zone and to Ganymede's polar surface via energetic charged particle bombardment is about 6 × 109 W. Ions and electrons could gain as much as 2.9-48 keV at the reconnection site of the magnetopause. The production rate of oxygen and water molecules from the associated ion sputtering effect (QII ~ 1025 - 1026 molecules/s, QI ~ 1-4 × 1026 molecules/s) can be derived from polar cap precipitation of the ambient Jovian energetic ions. Because Ganymede's Birkeland current system is highly time-variable in response to the Jovian magnetic field variations, the ``footpoints'' of the accelerated ion beams could have rapid changes and hence the motion of the hotspots of the oxygen airglow emission as observed by the Hubble Space Telescope.

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