Constraining the magnetic connection of Jupiter's and Saturn's ring planes with their stratospheres

限制木星和土星环平面与其平流层的磁连接

• 批准号: 169821322
• 负责人: Dr. Paul Hartogh
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung (MPS)
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Priority Programmes
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2009-12-31 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/169821322?language=en
• 关键词: Constraining; magnetic; connection; Jupiter; Saturn

Saturn’s spin-symmetric magnetic field provides a natural coordinate system mapping any latitude of the middle atmosphere to corresponding locations in the ring plane. So-called conjugate latitudes and ring-plane conjugates have been proposed for the first time by Connerney in 1982. His Z3 model provides a quantitative description of connection between mid atmosphere latitudes with locations in the ring plane. High charge-to-mass-ratio particles which are confined to motion along field lines are subject to mass transport from the ring plane into the neutral atmosphere and may therefore lead to ring erosion and mass loss. This mass transport (mainly water) would also play an important role in the chemistry of the middle atmosphere (oxygen supply) and would be a tracer for constraining the meridional circulation. Up to now there is no direct proof of the possible transport of water and the related mechanisms of its distribution. Instead variations in the haze density of the lower stratosphere have been used to constrain the mass transport. This is a very indirect method, since it requires insight into the microphysics of condensation nuclei of unknown nature and leaves of lot of space for speculations about the fate of the water transported from the rings into the middle atmosphere. Herschel will for the first time provide highly resolved observations of the vertical profile of water vapour in the middle atmospheres and its meridional distribution in late 2009 / early 2010 and therefore provide a strong constraint for the proposed connection processes. It is the goal of this application to analyse these observations with respect to the magnetic ring plane – middle atmosphere connections.

土星的自旋对称磁场提供了一个自然的坐标系，将中层大气的任何纬度映射到环平面的相应位置。所谓的共轭纬度和环平面共轭是由Connerney在1982年首次提出的。他的Z3模型提供了一个定量描述大气中纬度与环平面位置之间的联系。高荷质比的粒子被限制在沿着场线运动，会从环平面向中性大气中进行质量输运，因此可能导致环侵蚀和质量损失。这种物质输送（主要是水）也将在中层大气的化学（氧气供应）中发挥重要作用，并将成为限制赤道环流的示踪剂。到目前为止，还没有直接证据证明水的可能运输及其分布的相关机制。相反，平流层下部的霾密度的变化被用来限制质量传输。这是一种非常间接的方法，因为它需要深入了解未知性质的凝结核的微观物理学，并为推测从环输送到中层大气的水的命运留下了很大的空间。Herschel将于2009年底/2010年初首次提供中层大气水蒸气垂直廓线及其纬向分布的高分辨率观测，因此将对拟议的连接过程提供强有力的约束。这一应用的目的是分析这些观测与磁环平面-中层大气的联系。