Seismic studies of Jupiter at the time of SL-9 impacts.
Abstract
This paper reports the seismic observations performed with three IR cameras, CAMIRAS, TIMMI and c10μ based respectively at the NOT, ESO 3.6-m and CFHT. Eight months after the impact of comet SL9 on Jupiter, it is still impossible to say whether the attempt to observe seismic waves excited by the impacts has been successfully conclusive. Hodograms have been performed, in which the sensitivity is about 30 mK (5-σ level). This level is dominated by secondary effects due to the temperature variations of the Jovian disk. The noise level is about three times higher than the final sensitivity of the detector. It has been continuously improved at each step of the data reduction. Further improvements remain possible, so that the current negative result of the "impact-seismology" is not definitive . According to the simulated seismic results, no detection at the 30-mK level implies that the kinetic energy of impact L, observed with CAMIRAS at the NOT was less than about 5×1020J.
- Publication:
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European SL-9/Jupiter Workshop
- Pub Date:
- 1995
- Bibcode:
- 1995ESOC...52..397M
- Keywords:
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- Jupiter: Seismicity;
- Jupiter: Impact Phenomena;
- Jupiter: Comets