HR: 0800h
AN: P31A-0970    [Abstracts]
TI: Simple Particle Modeling of the Varying Structure of the Io Inner Torus
AU: * Cowee, M M
EM: mcowee@igpp.ucla.edu
AF: University of California Los Angeles, Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567 United States
AU: Russell, C T
EM: ctrussell@igpp.ucla.edu
AF: University of California Los Angeles, Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567 United States
AU: Wang, Y
EM: ywang@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Space and Atmos. Sciences M/S. D466, Los Alamos, NM 87545 United States
AB: Observations show that the inner Io torus has both short and long term variations in its structure and position. Generally the dusk side of the torus is closer to Jupiter than the dawn side, and the radial location of various features in the inner torus show longitudinal variations with time. This highly dynamic inner torus structure is likely due to several magnetospheric effects, most importantly mass loading at Io. Large volcanic events can alter magnetospheric conditions and change the radial configuration of the inner torus. Using simple particle modeling of ion pickup at Io, we explore the variations in inner torus structure that can result from changing pickup conditions at Io as well as specific sources of mass loading on Io (i.e. known volcanoes).
DE: 5719 Interactions with particles and fields
DE: 6218 Jovian satellites
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting