The atmosphere and ionosphere of Io

Details The atmosphere and ionosphere of Io The atmosphere and ionosphere of Io

Feb 1975

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1975apj...196..227m&link_type=abstract

Astrophysical Journal, vol. 196, Feb. 15, 1975, pt. 1, p. 227-250.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

19

Atmospheric Composition, Atmospheric Models, Diurnal Variations, Io, Natural Satellites, D Lines, Electron Density Profiles, Hydrogen, Jupiter Atmosphere, Line Spectra, Lyman Alpha Radiation, Planetary Ionospheres, Plasma Clouds, Sodium, Sputtering, Toruses

Scientific paper

Models for Jupiter's innermost Galilean satellite's atmosphere, ionosphere, and sodium airglow are developed on the basis of recent observational data. The sodium emission detected by Brown (1973) is seen to require a collisional excitation process in Io's atmosphere, while the extended sodium emission measured by Trafton et al. (1974) may require scattering of the planetary radiation by an extended sodium cloud. The sodium is presumably present in bound form on Io's surface, and may be released by a sputtering mechanism proposed by Matson et al. (1974). The ionosphere detected by a radio occultation experiment on Pioneer 10 could be attributed to photoionization of atmospheric sodium, provided Io's atmosphere could sustain significant upward motions during daytime and downward motions during nighttime. The incomplete hydrogen torus observed by Judge and Carlson (1974) in the vicinity of Io appears to require a large supply of hydrogen from the satellite's atmosphere. Implications of the hydrogen torus for the energy and mass balance of Jupiter's magnetosphere are discussed.

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