Abstract A large satellite in a magnetosphere can disturb significantly the magnetic and electric fields in its vicinity. The nature of the disturbance depends on the conductivity of the body, its own magnetic field, the plasma parameters (density, temperature, flow velocity, composition) and the boundary conditions imposed by the planet's ionosphere. Under certain conditions large field aligned electric fields can arise which cause particle acceleration and hence emission of plasma and radio waves. A number of observations relevant to the case of the Jovian moon Io will be briefly reviewed. The coupling of Io with the magnetosphere is discussed in terms of pick-up and Alfvén waves. We argue that most of the ions making up the Io torus are created in Io's immediate vicinity where the electric field is reduced by a factor of about 4 from its full corotational value.
The role of planetary satellites in magnetospheric processes
Advances in Space Research ; 1 , 1 ; 31-46
1981-01-01
16 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
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