EarthRef.org Reference Database (ERR)
Development and Maintenance by the EarthRef.org Database Team

Detailed Reference Information
Cowee et al. 2007
Cowee, M.M., Winske, D., Russell, C.T. and Strangeway, R.J. (2007). 1D hybrid simulations of planetary ion-pickup: Energy partition. Geophysical Research Letters 34: doi: 10.1029/2006GL028285. issn: 0094-8276.

Ion pickup in planetary environments results in unstable newborn ion populations with sufficient free energy to generate electromagnetic plasma waves. Estimates of the SO2 + pickup rates near the Jovian moon, Io, based on ion cyclotron wave observations assumed that the newborn pickup ions lose 50% of their energy to wave growth. Using one-dimensional initial-value hybrid simulation, we test this assumption and predict that at most ~25% of the energy of the newborn ion population is lost to wave growth for conditions at Io. This energy is lost over >1400 SO2 + gyroperiods (~1 hour), with the majority lost after saturation of the instability. Thus the saturation wave energy is low, at <3% of the newborn ion population's energy. In contrast, newborn ions in cometary environments saturate at substantially higher wave energies (~30% of the newborn ion population's energy), but do not continue to lose energy afterwards.

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Interplanetary Physics, Pickup ions, Ionosphere, Plasma waves and instabilities, Planetary Sciences, Solar System Objects, Jovian satellites, Planetary Sciences, Solar System Objects, Io, Planetary Sciences, Solar System Objects, Comets
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
2000 Florida Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009-1277
USA
1-202-462-6900
1-202-328-0566
service@agu.org
Click to clear formClick to return to previous pageClick to submit