Model of energy deposition of energetic electrons and EUV emission in the Jovian and Saturnian atmospheres and implications

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982 · J. Geophys. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA087iA06p04525· OSTI ID:7040669

Gerard, J; Singh, V

A model of the interaction between incident precipitation and H/sub 2/ atmospheres is described. The local degraded primary and secondary electron density distributions are calculated by using the continuous slowing down approximation. The altitude distribution of the ionization rate and various H And EUV H/sub 2/ emissions are calculated for four different incident electron spectra. A total EUV H/sub 2/ emission efficiency of 10.6 kR/incident erg cm/sup -2/ s/sup -1/ is obtained for a pure H/sub 2/ atmosphere. Comparison with the Voyager Jupiter observations indicates that an incident energy flux of about 8 erg cm/sup -2/ s/sup -1/ was present at the time of the encounter if the emission is located in an H/sub 2/-dominated region. The local thermospheric heating rate was about 4 ergs cm/sup -2/ s/sup -1/ for Jupiter and of the order of 0.1 erg cm/sup -2/ s/sup -1/ for Saturn. A globally averaged atomic hydrogen production rate of approx.1 x 10/sup 10/ atoms/cm/sup 2/ s/sup -1/ is induced by the Jovian auroral electron precipitation, largely exceeding the solar EUV dissociation rate.

• Research Organization: Institut d'Astrophysique, Universite de Liege, B-4200 Cointe-Liege, Belgium
• OSTI ID: 7040669
• Journal Information: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States) Vol. 87:A6; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640107* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Planetary Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ATMOSPHERES
CHARGED-PARTICLE PRECIPITATION
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON PRECIPITATION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SPECTRA
EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
HYDROGEN
JUPITER PLANET
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NONMETALS
PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES
PLANETARY MAGNETOSPHERES
PLANETS
RADIATIONS
SATURN PLANET
SPECTRA
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION