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At least 523 records · Page 29
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NASA NTRS1983

The Jovian magnetosphere

Research on Jovian magnetospheric physics from 1979 through 1982 is surveyed, with a focus on the observations of Voyagers 1 and 2. Jovian fields and plasmas are characterized in the order of their distance from the planet, and special emphasis is given to the Io plasma torus (IPT) in the 4.9-8-Jovian-radius region and to the extended Jovian magnetotail. Topics reviewed include synchrotron radiation, magnetic-field models, Na and S emissions in the IPT, aurora, the magnetic-anomaly model, IPT plasma diffusion-convection, Io-generated Alfven wave, plasma configuration beyond the IPT, low-energy charged particles, cosmic-ray-energy particles, particle acceleration, magnetic configuration, tail current sheet and plasma disc, magnetopause and magnetosheath, interplanetary ions of Jovian origin, and the Jovian magnetosphere at Saturnian distances.

Birmingham, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The source location of certain Jovian decametric radio emissions

Evidence is presented which supports the concept that certain of the Jovian decametric radio waves originate as northern hemisphere extraordinary mode cyclotron emissions. The wave signals received by Voyager 1 near 10 MHz shortly after the closest approach to Jupiter were found to exhibit cusps in the fringe pattern which can be attributed to Faraday rotation in the Io plasma torus. At nearly the same time, the wave polarization near 1 MHz was found to exhibit a sudden reversal of its rotation sense, indicating that the wave path for those frequencies had also become perpendicular to the magnetic field at the spacecraft. It was determined that the waves came from the northern hemisphere at progressively lower altitudes with increasing frequency, and if the source is assumed to be associated with an L = 6 field line, the emission appears to have occurred near the source cyclotron frequency somewhere in the local midnight sector. The evidence indicates that the source is at the Io flux tube and that the emitted wave mode must have been extraordinary. In addition, the emitted wave polarization must have been substantially noncircular which would require a low plasma density near the source, much like that which occurs with auroral kilometric radiation at the earth.

Calvert, W.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A two-stage mechanism for escape of Na and K from Io

A two-stage process is presented to identify Io as the source of Na and K ions in the Io plasma torus. The Voyager I IRIS experiment recorded an SO2 abundance of 0.2 cm atm in the Io subsolar region, and further calculations determined that the S(+) and O(+) would have sufficient energy to penetrate the Io atmosphere and produce sputtering of surface atoms at a rate of 800 million/sq cm per sec. If K, Na, and S are present on the surface in cosmic proportions, then an evenly applied sputter distribution would produce the same abundances of sputtered Na and K as observed in the Na and K clouds around Io. Sputtered into the atmosphere, the ions undergo thermal Jean's escape and attain velocities of at least 2.6 km/sec. The sputtering ions are a factor of two greater on the Jupiter side than on the solar side, in agreement with asymmetries measured by the Voyager.

Summers, M. E.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The detection of X rays from Jupiter

X rays in the energy band 0.2-3.0 keV have been detected coming from both polar regions of Jupiter. The observations were made in 1979 and 1981 by using the imaging proportional counter and high resolution imaging detectors on the Einstein X-ray astronomy satellite. The measured flux density of approximately 0.0006/sq cm-sec at earth corresponds to an X ray luminosity of approximately 4 x 10 to the 9th W in the 0.2- to 3.0-keV energy band. The energy spectrum of the X rays is extremely soft and can be characterized by a power law with an exponent of approximately 2.3. Detector energy resolution is insufficient to distinguish a soft line spectrum from a continuum. However, the shape of the response and the observed X ray power indicate that the source of this auroral emission is not electron bremsstrahlung as on the earth, but is most probably line emission from O and S ions with energies between 0.03 and 4.0 MeV/nucleon precipitating from the outer boundary of the Io plasma torus at L approximately 8.

Metzger, A. E.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Saturn's outer magnetosphere

Similarities between the Saturnian and terrestrial outer magnetosphere are examined. Saturn, like Earth, has a fully developed magnetic tail, 80 to 100 RS in diameter. One major difference between the two outer magnetospheres is the hydrogen and nitrogen torus produced by Titan. This plasma is, in general, convected in the corotation direction at nearly the rigid corotation speed. Energies of magnetospheric particles extend to above 500 keV. In contrast, interplanetary protons and ions above 2 MeV have free access to the outer magnetosphere to distances well below the Stormer cutoff. This access presumably occurs through the magnetotail. In addition to the H+, H2+, and H3+ ions primarily of local origin, energetic He, C, N, and O ions are found with solar composition. Their flux can be substantially enhanced over that of interplanetary ions at energies of 0.2 to 0.4 MeV/nuc.

Schardt, A. W.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Load deflection characteristics of inflated structures

A single, closed form relationship to relate load to the deformed dimensions of the horizontal torus was developed. Wall elasticity was included in the analysis, and special care was taken to predict the final footprint area of the loaded structure. The test fixture utilized is shown. The tori used for the bulk of the testing were rubber inner tubes for a 32 and 160 pneumatic tire. The inner tube being tested was plumbed, to a mercury-filled manometer, which had a 50 inch measurement capacity, by use of a special adapter. The adapter fit over the valve stem and allowed air to be added from a shop-air source and to be bled through the standard valve mechanism. In this fashion, tests requiring the maintenance of a constant indication of air pressure could be run with little difficulty.

Baumgarten, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A dawn to dusk electric field in the Jovian magnetosphere

It is shown that if Io-injected plasma is lost via a planetary wind-fixed Birkeland current system may result. This is due to the fact that the azimuthal centrifugal current flows across a density gradient produced by the loss of plasma through the planetary wind in the tail. The divergent centrifugal current is connected to field-aligned Birkeland currents which flow into the ionosphere at dawn and out of it at dusk. The closure currents in the ionosphere require a dawn to dusk electric field which at the orbit of Io is estimated to have a strength of 0.2 mV/m. However, the values of crucial parameters are not well known and the field at Io's orbit may well be significantly larger. Independent estimates derived from the local time asymmetry of the torus UV emission indicate a field of 1.5 mV/m.

Goertz, C. K.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Laboratory infrared studies relevant to Io: A satellite to the planet Jupiter

To explain the unidentified spectral features of Io, as obtained by the Voyager infrared spectrometer experiment, the infrared absorption spectra of a number of stable sulfur and oxygen compounds was measured and compared to the Voyager data. Based on the reference absorption bands of Na2SO4 and possibly SO2, the infrared data on Io in the region 700 to 200 per cm appear to represent an emission spectrum. Given the strong evidence for an oxidized crustal environment and the presence of sodium in the Io torus, the absorption spectra of the tested materials support the probability of Na2SO4 occurrence on Io.

Khanna, R. K.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Survey of low-energy plasma electrons in Saturn's magnetosphere - Voyagers 1 and 2

The low energy plasma electron environment within Saturn's magnetosphere was surveyed by the Plasma Science Experiment (PLS) during the Voyager encounters with Saturn. Over the full energy range of the PLS instrument (10 eV to 6 keV) the electron distribution functions are clearly non-Maxwellian in character; they are composed of a cold (thermal) component with Maxwellian shape and a hot (suprathermal) non-Maxwellian component. A large scale positive radial gradient in electron temperature is observed, increasing from less than 1 eV in the inner magnetosphere to as high as 800 eV in the outer magnetosphere. Three fundamentally different plasma regimes were identified from the measurements: (1) the hot outer magnetosphere, (2) the extended plasma sheet, and (3) the inner plasma torus. Previously announced in STAR as N83-34872

Sittler, E. C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The thermosphere of Titan

The vertical structure of Titan's thermosphere is calculated down to the mesopause as a function of local time based on Voyager 1 occultation data. The thermal time scales that characterize the diurnal behavior of the thermosphere are discussed, the input model atmosphere used to calculate the temperature profile is presented, and the dominant heating and cooling mechanisms in the thermosphere are examined. The temperature profiles obtained by integrating the heat transfer equation with and without electron heating are presented and discussed. The implications that derived exospheric temperatures have for the neutral hydrogen torus are investigated. The diurnal exospheric temperature is unlikely to exceed 225 K, averages between 187 and 197 K, and has a variational amplitude of 28 K or less. The vertical extent of the hydrogen cloud is too large to be explained in terms of simple thermal escape of hydrogen from the exosphere.

Friedson, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

A dawn-to-dusk electric field in the Jovian magnetosphere

It is shown that if Io-injected plasma is lost via a planetary wind a sun-fixed Birkeland current system may result. This is due to the fact that a current flows across a density gradient produced by the loss of plasma through the planetary wind in the tail. The divergent current is connected to field-aligned Birkeland currents which flow into the ionosphere at dawn and out of it at dusk. The closure currents in the ionosphere require a dawn-to-dusk electric field which at the orbit of Io is estimated to have a strength of a few mV/m. Independent estimates derived from the local time asymmetry of the torus u.v. emission indicate a field of 1.5 mV/m.

Ip, W.-H.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Laboratory identification of the 3S(2)3P(2) (3)P2,1-3S3P(3) (5)S2(0) intersystem lines of S III

The spin-changing triple-quintet intersystem lines of S III have been identified in laboratory spectra for the first time. The wavelengths are 1728.939 and 1713.117 A with an uncertainty of plus-or-minus 5 mA. These values are about 250 times more precise than those from the IUE spectra of the Io torus where these lines were first detected. The 1728.939 line is coincident with strong, previously unidentified features in the spectrum of the sun, RR Tel, and V 1016 Cyg. The 1713.117 line and an Fe II line at 1712.997 A form barely resolvable doublets in the latter two spectra. The S III intersystem lines are likely to be density sensitive and therefore a potential new diagnostic for astrophysical plasmas.

Smith, P. L.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Escape of sulfur and oxygen from Io

Charged particle sputtering is reexamined as a mechanism for escape of sulfur and oxygen from Io. Corotating ions and energetic ions are considered, using the best available determinations of ion fluxes and sputtering yields. It is unclear whether molecular SO2 is the dominant escaping neutral from Io or whether atomic O and S are dominant, but the Voyager detection of SO2(+) in the cold torus implies the presence of molecular SO2 there. Thin atmosphere models encounter serious difficulty in achieving adequate sulfur and oxygen escape rates, but they are not yet ruled out. Ionization and dissociation of SO2 in a sputter corona can dominate direct escape. In thick atmosphere models the neutral escape rates can be much higher, but the oxygen escape rate tends to be too high relative to the sulfur escape rate unless diffusive separation in the atmosphere is limited, perhaps by rapid mixing.

Cheng, A. F.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Rotationally-induced Birkeland current systems

Rotational effects which are negligible in earth's magnetosphere become dominant in the magnetospheres of the outer planets where they give rise to Birkeland current circuits coupling the ionospheric and magnetospheric motions. The centrifugal force of corotation produces an azimuthal ring current in the magnetosphere while the Coriolis force produces a current parallel to the plasma flow. The acceleration current also becomes significant when deviations from strict corotation are appreciable. In general, none of these currents are divergence-free, and closure is provided by ionospheric conduction currents via connecting Birkeland currents. Thus the ionospheric conductivity regulates magnetospheric motions much as it does in the terrestrial case. The effects of such currents have been clearly observed in the magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn. Birkeland current circuits also transmit planetary angular momentum to external sinks such as conducting satellites (e.g., Io), plasma production sites (e.g., the Io torus), and/or the surrounding solar wind (as proposed for Uranus).

Hill, T. W.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Jovian magnetospheric neutral wind and auroral precipitation flux

A theoretical model of the Jovian magnetosphere is used to describe the mechanism by which energy is transported from Jupiter's rotation into heavy ions precipitating into the atmosphere, and resulting in intense ultraviolet aurora. The flow and magnetic field configurations used in the model are drawn from data collected by the Voyager orbiter. It is shown that the observed Jovian auroral radiation power is supplied by the precipitation of heavy ions of Iogenic origin. The ions are created by a charge exchange between the Io torus and fly as neutrals to the outer magnetosphere. A small fraction of the ions are photoionized in the outer magnetosphere where they acquire a magnetic moment determined by the local corotation electric field and planetary magnetic field. As the ions diffuse inward they are energized adiabatically. A schematic drawing illustrating the evolution of this process is provided. It is also shown that Jupiter may be a significant source of heavy ions for the solar wind by means of photoionization of a neutral wind. Secondary charge exchange in the outer magnetosphere could supply a flux of minimum energy neutral atoms that may have been measured by the Voyager Low Energy Charged Particle detector (LECP).

Eviatar, A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Do the Satellites of Uranus Control Its Magnetosphere?

The importance of the satellites of Uranus as sources of magnetospheric plasma were investigated. It is found that neither an Io like plasma source nor a Titan like source is likely at Uranus. The likely presence of a heavy ion plasma torus maintained by charged particle sputtering of the icy satellites is examined. Sputtering of Saturn's icy satellites is considered an important source of heavy ion (oxygen) plasma in Saturn's inner magnetosphere. A major unresolved question is whether this sputtering process does depend on the preexistence of magnetospheric heavy ions derived from another source, Titian.

Cheng, A. F.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Outer satellite atmospheres: Their nature and planetary interactions

Significant insights regarding the nature and interactions of Io and the planetary magnetosphere were gained through modeling studies of the spatial morphology and brightness of the Io sodium cloud. East-west intensity asymmetries in Region A are consistent with an east-west electric field and the offset of the magnetic and planetary-spin axes. East-west orbital asymmetries and the absolute brightness of Region B suggest a low-velocity (3 km/sec) satellite source of 1 to 2 x 10(26) sodium atoms/sec. The time-varying spatial structure of the sodium directional features in near Region C provides direct evidence for a magnetospheric-wind-driven escape mechanism with a high-velocity (20 km/sec) source of 1 x 10(26) atoms/sec and a flux distribution enhanced at the equator relative to the poles. A model for the Io potassium cloud is presented and analysis of data suggests a low velocity source rate of 5 x 10(24) atoms/sec. To understand the role of Titan and non-Titan sources for H atoms in the Saturn system, the lifetime of hydrogen in the planetary magnetosphere was incorporated into the earlier Titan torus model of Smyth (1981) and its expected impact discussed. A particle trajectory model for cometary hydrogen is presented and applied to the Lyman-alpha distribution of Comet Kohoutek (1973XII).

Smyth, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Extended atmospheres of outer planet satellites and comets

The lifetimes of hydrogen atoms in the environment of Saturn's magnetosphere can be expected to be quite long (approx. 10 to the 8th power s). Preliminary testing of a model of the Titan hydrogen torus for these long-lived orbits was begun. A draft of the paper describing the analysis of Pioneer Venus observations of Comet P/Encke was completed. Plans to analyze Comet P/Halley data, as well as the development of models for cometary carbon and oxygen, are also discussed.

Smyth, W. H.↗