Comparative study of the power transferred from satellite-magnetosphere interactions to auroral emissions

Io's interaction with the Jovian magnetosphere generates a power of about 1012 W which propagates as Alfvén waves along the magnetic field lines and is partly transferred to electrons, resulting in intense auroral emissions. A recent study of the power transmission along the Io flux tube and of...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 2011-01, Vol.116 (A1), p.n/a
Hauptverfasser: Hess, S. L. G., Delamere, P. A., Dols, V., Ray, L. C.
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Io's interaction with the Jovian magnetosphere generates a power of about 1012 W which propagates as Alfvén waves along the magnetic field lines and is partly transferred to electrons, resulting in intense auroral emissions. A recent study of the power transmission along the Io flux tube and of the electron acceleration at high latitudes showed that the power of the observed emissions is well explained by assuming filamentation of the Alfvén waves in the torus and the acceleration of the electrons at high latitude. At Jupiter, UV footprints related to Europa and Ganymede have also been observed. At Saturn recent observations revealed a weak UV footprint of Enceladus. We apply the Io interaction model to the Europa and Enceladus interactions. We show that the Alfvén wave filamentation leads to a precipitating electron power consistent with the power of the observed UV footprints.
ISSN:0148-0227
2169-9380
2156-2202
2169-9402
DOI:10.1029/2010JA015807