Magnetospheric ion bombardment profiles of satellites - Europa and Dione

Journal Article · Wed Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1989 · Icarus; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0019-1035(89)90065-1· OSTI ID:5810578

Pospieszalska, M K; Johnson, R E

Bombardment profiles generated by tracking ions in magnetospheric plasmas onto the surface of a satellite with a suitable description of the ion motion are used to calculate the spatial dependence across a satellite surface of the ion bombardment/implantation rate for satellites embedded in planetary magnetospheric plasmas. Attention is given to the results of a parameter study; a general dependency on ion gyroradius and pitch angle is noted, together with a strong dependence of access to the leading hemisphere on pitch-angle distribution. Gyromotion is found to cause differences in the bombardment of the inner and outer hemisphere. Reasonable speed and pitch-angle distributions are used to calculate profiles for sulfur ions incident on Europa and oxygen ones incident on Dione. 28 references.

• Research Organization: Virginia Univ., Charlottesville (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5810578
• Journal Information: Icarus; (United States), Journal Name: Icarus; (United States) Vol. 78; ISSN ICRSA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640107* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Planetary Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ATMOSPHERES
CHARGED PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
ION DENSITY
ION IMPLANTATION
IONS
IRRADIATION
JUPITER PLANET
NONMETALS
OXYGEN IONS
PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS
PARTICLE TRACKS
PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES
PLANETARY MAGNETOSPHERES
PLANETS
PLASMA
SATELLITES
SATURN PLANET
SULFUR
SURFACES