The volcanic moon Io and its role in Jupiter's vast magnetosphere

By Associate Professor Lorenz Roth

School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract

Since the Voyager mission flybys in 1979, we have known Jupiter moon Io to be extremely volcanically active as well as to be the main source of plasma in the vast magnetosphere of Jupiter. While the volcanic activity is generally dynamic and variable, the Jupiter magnetospheric plasma environment is stable on timescales from days to months. However, various observations suggest that occasionally (roughly 1-2 times per decade) the plasma environment undergoes major transient changes over several weeks, apparently overcoming any stabilizing mechanisms.

I review the current knowledge on Io’s volcanic activity, atmosphere and the magnetospheric neutral and plasma environment in view of their roles in the mass transfer from Io to the plasma torus and magnetosphere. At the end, I will briefly discuss what current and future space missions (Juno, JUICE, Europa Clipper) might contribute to address this topic.

About the Speaker

Associate Professor Lorenz Roth is a planetary astronomer and physicist specialized in imaging data analysis and modeling. His research deals with the magnetospheric environments, atmospheres, surfaces, and interiors of various planetary bodies. The focus of most of my recent studies lies on the Galilean moons of planet Jupiter: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. He is involved in projects on the auroral emission from the ice giants Uranus and Neptune, the rings of Saturn, and ultra-cool dwarf stars. Most of my studies are based on observations by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (HST), for which I am leading several observational campaigns, as well as from ground-based telescope facilities, including the ALMA observatory.