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On the energy crisis in the Io plasma torus
Author(s) -
Smith Robert A.,
Bagenal Fran,
Cheng Andrew F.,
Strobel Darrell F.
Publication year - 1988
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/gl015i006p00545
Subject(s) - torus , extreme ultraviolet lithography , plasma , ion , physics , atomic physics , diffusion , energy (signal processing) , extreme ultraviolet , energy balance , computational physics , nuclear physics , optics , laser , quantum mechanics , geometry , mathematics , thermodynamics
Recent calculations of the energy balance of the Io plasma torus show that the observed UV and EUV radiation cannot be maintained solely via energy input by the ion pickup mechanism. Current theoretical models of the torus must be modified to include non‐local energy input. It is argued that the required energy may be supplied by inward diffusion of energetic heavy ions with energies less than about 20 keV.