A study of the Jovian forbidden line S II nebula at high spectral resolution
Abstract
Observations of forbidden line S II 6716-6731 A emissions from the Jovian magnetosphere have been carried out with a PEPSIOS spectrometer at the Hale 5 m telescope. Spectral resolving power was sufficient to resolve the forbidden line S II line widths. From measured 6716-6731 A doublet ratios and spectral line widths a thermal plasma is found characterized by temperatures about 2 x 10 to the 4th K and electron densities about 2000 cu cm. The source of forbidden line S II emissions was centered within a toroidal region of radius 5 Jupiter radii (inside the orbit of Io), with tight latitudinal confinement near the equilibrium equator for ions in the tilted corotating Jovian magnetic field, and significant long-lived longitudinal structure.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- March 1980
- DOI:
- 10.1086/157831
- Bibcode:
- 1980ApJ...236.1035T
- Keywords:
-
- Forbidden Transitions;
- Jupiter Atmosphere;
- Nebulae;
- Planetary Radiation;
- Spectral Resolution;
- Electron Density (Concentration);
- Emission Spectra;
- Line Spectra;
- Planetary Magnetospheres;
- Spectral Line Width;
- Thermal Plasmas;
- Lunar and Planetary Exploration