| Title: |
Modeling Jovian Plasma-Europa Interactions : Innovative Atmosphere and Ionosphere Depiction for JUICE Mission Insights |
| Authors: |
Baskevitch, C.; Modolo, R.; Cecconi, B.; Leblanc, F.; Wahlund, Jan-Erik; Aizawa, S.; Oza, A. |
| Publisher Information: |
Uppsala universitet, Institutet för rymdfysik, Uppsalaavdelningen; Sorbonne Univ, UVSQ Univ Paris Saclay, CNRS, LATMOS IPSL, Paris, France.;Univ PSL, Sorbonne Univ, Univ Paris Meudon, LIRA,Observ Paris,CNRS, Paris, France.; Sorbonne Univ, UVSQ Univ Paris Saclay, CNRS, LATMOS IPSL, Paris, France.; Univ PSL, Sorbonne Univ, Univ Paris Meudon, LIRA,Observ Paris,CNRS, Paris, France.; Sorbonne Univ, Ecole Polytech, Inst Polytech Paris, LPP,CNRS, Palaiseau, France.; CALTECH, Jet Prop Lab, Pasadena, CA USA. |
| Publication Year: |
2025 |
| Collection: |
Uppsala University: Publications (DiVA) |
| Subject Terms: |
numerical simulation; Europa; moon-magnetosphere interaction; JUICE mission; Galileo mission; Fusion; Plasma and Space Physics; plasma och rymdfysik; Astronomy; Astrophysics and Cosmology; Astronomi; astrofysik och kosmologi |
| Description: |
The JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) mission, launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in April 2023, aims to explore Jupiter and its icy moons, particularly focusing on Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. This study uses the Latmos Hybrid Simulation (LatHyS) model to simulate Europa's plasma and field environment, emphasizing the upcoming JUICE flybys in July 2032. The LatHyS model, incorporating a detailed 3D exospheric model and a self-consistent ionosphere, allows for comprehensive analysis of the moon-plasma interactions at ion scales. Our simulations, validated against Galileo's E4 flyby data, demonstrate the model's accuracy in reproducing key features of the plasma environment and ionospheric dynamics. To characterize the system's response to neutral/ionospheric environment assumptions, we compare three simulations, with different neutral and ionosphere impacts, revealing the ionosphere's influence on the magnetic field intensity. Using an atmosphere derived from a planetary exosphere simulation model like EGM allows for the consideration of various asymmetries and multiple major neutral species, supporting further studies on ionospheric ion dynamics. Results highlight the complex interactions influenced by Europa's neutral and ionospheric conditions, providing insights for the anticipated JUICE observations. The measured signatures primarily depend on the interactions with the ionosphere along the spacecraft's trajectory and simulations show that a dense ionosphere deduced from radio occultation observations cannot reproduce the observed in situ signatures. The exosphere being a source for planetary ions, it was shown that it is significant to consider the spatial asymmetries in global interaction models in order to better account for its impact on the system. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics, 2169-9380, 2025, 130:11; ISI:001616483100001 |
| DOI: |
10.1029/2025JA033740 |
| Availability: |
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-572345; https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JA033740 |
| Rights: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.1E5A6179 |
| Database: |
BASE |