Rutgers University Astrophysics Seminar - NOTE TIME

Refreshments to follow in room 332W. ABSTRACT: Results of numerical models and laboratory investigations of the interaction of the jovian magnetic field with Europa and of the saturnian magnetic field interaction with Enceladus will be presented. It is largely through the jovian magnetic field interaction that we have knowledge of the sub-surface ocean. Results from the Galileo spacecraft magnetometer were used to investigate the sub-surface ocean chemistry and to derive relationships for salinity and ice layer thickness as a function of the amplitude of the induced magnetic field. At Enceladus, the magnetic field interaction may lead to joule heating in the south polar terrain amounting to a few tens of megawatts of power dissipation. Energetic particles (protons, electrons, and ions) within the magnetic field of Jupiter bombard the surface ice of Europa, creating a surface rich in oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, and sulfate. Laboratory investigations of electron radiolysis, primarily focused on oxidant production will be presented. If these compounds are delivered to the ocean they could serve to maintain an ocean rich in chemical energy useful for life. Finally, future missions to ocean worlds like Europa will require instrumentation capable of investigating the habitability of such worlds while also surviving the harsh radiation environment of Jupiter. I will close with an overview of an infrared spectrometer we are developing to address both of these design constraints.