Energetic Heavy Ion Depletion Observations Near Europa
Abstract
Energetic heavy ions in Jupiter’s magnetosphere are believed to be accelerated primarily through inward radial diffusion from ~25 Rj to inside Io. As the ions transit the orbital path of Europa at 10 Rj, they have an opportunity to be lost through a variety of processes including absorption, scattering and charge exchange. The Galileo Heavy Ion Counter (HIC) monitored the heavy ion (6C to 28Ni), high energy (~6 to >200 MeV nucl-1) environment at Jupiter between 1995 to 2003. Observations (both real time and record mode) from more than 30 Galileo orbits during that period that crossed Europa’s orbit indicate a distributed depletion region. Several quantitative examples showing oxygen depletions in the 5-50 MeV/nuc energy range are presented. These new data provide a unique, useful reference for testing diffusion models in this crucial region at Jupiter.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2009
- Bibcode:
- 2009AGUFMSM23B1607K
- Keywords:
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- 2720 MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS / Energetic particles: trapped;
- 2732 MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS / Magnetosphere interactions with satellites and rings;
- 2756 MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS / Planetary magnetospheres