Energetic ion sputtering effects at Ganymede

被引：34

作者：

Ip, WH ^{[1
]}

Williams, DJ ^{[1
]}

McEntire, RW ^{[1
]}

Mauk, B ^{[1
]}

机构：

[1] JOHNS HOPKINS UNIV,APPL PHYS LAB,LAUREL,MD

来源：

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS | 1997年 / 24卷 / 21期

关键词：

D O I：

10.1029/97GL02814

中图分类号：

P [天文学、地球科学];

学科分类号：

07 ;

摘要：

The energy spectra of magnetospheric ion measurements from the Energetic Particle Detectors (EPD) experiment on Galileo during the G2 encounter with Ganymede were used to estimate the ion sputtering rate from the surface of this largest Galilean moon. A combination of the ion composition and the mass-dependent sputtering yield shows that a total production rate of about 10(26) - 4.6 X 10(26) H2O molecules/s can be expected from the precipitation of the energetic ions at the polar region. The emission of the sputtered neutral particles will contribute to the formation of an extended exosphere as well as a distributed gas cloud in the Jovian system. Additional sputtering might be possible if an electrostatic potential drop of a few kV forms leading to the acceleration of ionospheric (oxygen) ions towards Ganymede's sui face.

引用

页码：2631 / 2634

页数：4

共 29 条

[1]

CALVIN WH, 1996, GEOPHYS RES LETT, V23, P63

[2] Evidence for a magnetosphere at Ganymede from plasma-wave observations by the Galileo spacecraft [J].