Abstract
We discuss the apparent paradox between the reported observation of a 3-eV gyration energy of Jupiter's ionized sulfur nebula and its observed thickness. We present an observation of the thickness of the cloud taken nearly edge on and show that this implies a large bounce-averaged anisotropy of the sulfur in temperature, T{norm of matrix} ≫ T⊥. From these observations, we construct a self-consistent model of the sulfur nebula in which the sulfur ions are injected by Io as ions and remain sufficiently collisionless in the magnetosphere to maintain the anisotropy for a time longer than a characteristic diffusion time. We also show that the proton-electron plasma is collisionally thermalized and provides an adequate means of tapping the rotational energy of the planet to provide the power radiated in the sulfur lines.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 450-458 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Icarus |
Volume | 39 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 1979 |
Externally published | Yes |