KUKU

KU ScholarWorks

  • myKU
  • Email
  • Enroll & Pay
  • KU Directory
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   KU ScholarWorks
    • Dissertations and Theses
    • Dissertations
    • View Item
    •   KU ScholarWorks
    • Dissertations and Theses
    • Dissertations
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Models of Jupiter's Polar Aurora

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    OzakMunoz_ku_0099D_12210_DATA_1.pdf (34.60Mb)
    Issue Date
    2012-08-31
    Author
    Ozak Munoz, Nataly
    Publisher
    University of Kansas
    Format
    446 pages
    Type
    Dissertation
    Degree Level
    Ph.D.
    Discipline
    Physics & Astronomy
    Rights
    This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    Auroral emissions from Jupiter have been observed across the photon spectrum including ultraviolet and x-ray wavelengths. UV observations suggest an input flux power of 1013 - 1014 W for the aurora in each hemisphere. X-ray emissions with a total power of about 1 GW were observed by the Einstein Observatory, the Roentgen satellite, Chandra x-ray Observatory (CXO), and XMM-Newton. Previous theoretical studies have shown that precipitating energetic sulfur and oxygen ions can produce the observed x-rays. This study focuses on the ion precipitation of the polar region and its effects in the ionosphere. We present the results of a hybrid Monte Carlo model for sulfur and oxygen ion precipitation at high latitudes, look at differences with the continuous slowdown model, and compare the results to synthetic spectra fitted to observations. We concentrate on the effects of altitude on the observed spectrum and find that the opacity of the atmosphere to the outgoing x-ray photons is important for incident ion energies greater than about 1.2 MeV per nucleon for both sulfur and oxygen. Quenching of longer-lived excited states of the oxygen ions is also found to be important. Opacity considerably diminishes the outgoing x-ray intensity calculated, particularly when the viewing geometry is not favorable. We estimate an emission efficiency for the x-ray aurora of &epsilon ~ 7 x 10-5. Secondary electrons from the ion precipitation as well as photoelectrons and auroral electrons also affect the polar cap atmosphere. We calculated the secondary electron production due to the oxygen ion precipitation for the first time. We analyze the secondary electron fluxes due to the ion aurora and estimate their effects on the ionosphere and field aligned electrical currents. We find that the secondary electrons affect the ionosphere similarly to auroral electrons responsible for the diffuse UV aurora and are therefore important for the magnetospheric dynamics and our better understanding of the ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling.
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/1808/10259
    Collections
    • Dissertations [4474]
    • Physics & Astronomy Dissertations and Theses [121]

    Items in KU ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.


    We want to hear from you! Please share your stories about how Open Access to this item benefits YOU.


    Contact KU ScholarWorks
    785-864-8983
    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    785-864-8983

    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    Image Credits
     

     

    Browse

    All of KU ScholarWorksCommunities & CollectionsThis Collection

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Contact KU ScholarWorks
    785-864-8983
    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    785-864-8983

    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    Image Credits
     

     

    The University of Kansas
      Contact KU ScholarWorks
    Lawrence, KS | Maps
     
    • Academics
    • Admission
    • Alumni
    • Athletics
    • Campuses
    • Giving
    • Jobs

    The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, IOA@ku.edu, 1246 W. Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS, 66045, (785)864-6414, 711 TTY.

     Contact KU
    Lawrence, KS | Maps