A study of the Io-associated plasma and neutral sodium cloud

Abstract

Narrow-band interference filter images were obtained for the Io torus at the S II wavelengths of 6716, 6731 and at the wavelenght of the S III, 9532 spectrum. The purpose of these observations is to study the short term temporal behavior of the torus and to gain a better understanding of the systematic morphology of the torus. From these images, estimates were obtained for the electron and ion densities and ion temperatures as a function of longitude, latitude, radius from Jupiter, and time. From the analysis of images taken in 1983 and 1984, extremely sharp longitudinal variations in plasma density were detected, subcorotational velocities were measures in the torus plasma, the presence of an optical east-west brightness asymmetry was confirmed in the ion emissions, and longitudinal variations were detected in torus ion temperatures