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Plasma flow in the magnetosphere of Ganymede
Author(s) -
Eviatar Aharon,
Cheng Andrew F.,
Paranicas Chris,
Mauk Barry H.,
McEntire Richard W.,
Williams Donald J.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/98gl50867
Subject(s) - magnetosphere , physics , plasma , magnetic field , convection , flow (mathematics) , geophysics , jupiter (rocket family) , mechanics , current (fluid) , galileo (satellite navigation) , geology , astronomy , geodesy , nuclear physics , space shuttle , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
Galileo Energetic Particles Detector (EPD) measurements indicate that convective flow speeds near Ganymede decrease to less than one‐third of rigid corotation well before any significant increase in the magnetic field strength along the trajectory is observed. In an Alfvén wing model, such a deceleration implies that the Ganymede magnetosphere is a conducting object. We assess the magnitude of various conductivities and find that closure of the Alfvén wing current is attainable only through the body of Ganymede itself. We discuss briefly the planetological implications of this magnetospheric result.