Premium
The Space Environment of Io and Europa
Author(s) -
Bagenal Fran,
Dols Vincent
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1029/2019ja027485
Subject(s) - galilean moons , magnetosphere , jupiter (rocket family) , physics , astrobiology , icy moon , galilean , atmosphere (unit) , astronomy , ionosphere , planet , plasma , natural satellite , solar system , saturn , space exploration , classical mechanics , meteorology , quantum mechanics
The Galilean moons play major roles in the giant magnetosphere of Jupiter. At the same time, the magnetospheric particles and fields affect the moons. The impact of magnetospheric ions on the moons' atmospheres supplies clouds of escaping neutral atoms that populate a substantial fraction of their orbits. At the same time, ionization of atoms in the neutral cloud is the primary source of magnetospheric plasma. The stability of this feedback loop depends on the plasma/moon‐atmosphere interaction. The purpose of this review is to describe the physical processes that shape the space environment around the two innermost Galilean moons—Io and Europa—and to show their impact from the planet Jupiter out into interplanetary space.