Self-consistent multifluid MHD simulations of Europa's exospheric interaction with Jupiter's magnetosphere

The Jovian moon, Europa, hosts a thin neutral gas atmosphere, which is tightly coupled to Jupiter's magnetosphere. Magnetospheric ions impacting the surface sputter off neutral atoms, which, upon ionization, carry currents that modify the magnetic field around the moon. The magnetic field in th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of geophysical research. Space physics 2015-05, Vol.120 (5), p.3503-3524
Main Authors: Rubin, M., Jia, X., Altwegg, K., Combi, M. R., Daldorff, L. K. S., Gombosi, T. I., Khurana, K., Kivelson, M. G., Tenishev, V. M., Tóth, G., van der Holst, B., Wurz, P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Europa
Ionization
Ions
Jovian magnetosphere
Jupiter
Jupiter (planet)
Jupiter satellites
Magnetic fields
Magnetism
Magnetohydrodynamics
Magnetospheres
MHD
multifluid MHD
plasma interaction
Spacecraft
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Summary:The Jovian moon, Europa, hosts a thin neutral gas atmosphere, which is tightly coupled to Jupiter's magnetosphere. Magnetospheric ions impacting the surface sputter off neutral atoms, which, upon ionization, carry currents that modify the magnetic field around the moon. The magnetic field in the plasma is also affected by Europa's induced magnetic field. In this paper we investigate the environment of Europa using our multifluid MHD model and focus on the effects introduced by both the magnetospheric and the pickup ion populations. The model self‐consistently derives the electron temperature that governs the electron impact ionization process, which is the major source of ionization in this environment. The resulting magnetic field is compared to measurements performed by the Galileo magnetometer, the bulk properties of the modeled thermal plasma population is compared to the Galileo Plasma Subsystem observations, and the modeled surface precipitation fluxes are compared to Galileo Ultraviolet Spectrometer observations. The model shows good agreement with the measured magnetic field and reproduces the basic features of the plasma interaction observed at the moon for both the E4 and the E26 flybys of the Galileo spacecraft. The simulation also produces perturbations asymmetric about the flow direction that account for observed asymmetries. Key Points First multifluid MHD simulation of Europa's plasma interaction presented Matches plasma and magnetic field observations during Galileo E4 and E26 flybys Plasma flow and temperatures different for magnetospheric and pick up ions
ISSN:2169-9380
2169-9402
DOI:10.1002/2015JA021149