Comparing Jupiter and Saturn: dimensionless input rates from plasma sources within the magnetosphere
Comparing Jupiter and Saturn: dimensionless input rates from plasma sources within the magnetosphere
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比较木星和土星：磁层内等离子体源的无量纲输入速率
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发表时间：
2008
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通讯作者：
V. Vasyliūnas
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作者：
V. Vasyliūnas
只有通过将等离子体质量输入率表示为无量纲形式，即实际质量输入值与某个参考值的比率，才能评估与行星卫星有关的等离子体源的行星磁层的定量意义。传统上，使用的是太阳风质量流量，其面积等于磁层的横截面。在这里，我确定了另一个质量输入的参考值，它独立于太阳风，仅由行星参数构成，可以被证明代表足够大的质量输入，以防止震源位置已经发生的自转。据报道，土星土卫二的源速率比木星木卫一的源速率小一个数量级(绝对数)。然而，这两个参考值在土星上也比在木星上小约40到60倍；以无量纲形式表示，土卫二的估计质量输入可能比木卫一大约4到6倍。因此，尽管土星的磁层输入的质量以kg S−1较低，但本质上比木星磁层的质量负载更重。
The quantitative significance for a planetary magnetosphere of plasma sources associated with a moon of the planet can be assessed only by expressing the plasma mass input rate in dimensionless form, as the ratio of the actual mass input to some reference value. Traditionally, the solar wind mass flux through an area equal to the cross-section of the magnetosphere has been used. Here I identify another reference value of mass input, independent of the solar wind and constructed from planetary parameters alone, which can be shown to represent a mass input sufficiently large to prevent corotation already at the source location. The source rate from Enceladus at Saturn has been reported to be an order of magnitude smaller (in absolute numbers) than that from Io at Jupiter. Both reference values, however, are also smaller at Saturn than at Jupiter, by factors ~40 to 60; expressed in dimensionless form, the estimated mass input from Enceladus may be larger than that from Io by factors ~4 to 6. The magnetosphere of Saturn may thus, despite a lower mass input in kg s −1 , intrinsically be more heavily mass-loaded than the magnetosphere of Jupiter.