Interaction of Europa's Atmosphere with Jupiter's Magnetosphere: a 3D Multiscale MHD Simulation
K. Kabin (SPRL/U. Michigan), M. R. Combi (SPRL/U. Michigan), T. I. Gombosi (SPRL/U. Michigan), A. F. Nagy (SPRL/U. Michigan), D. L. DeZeeuw (SPRL/U. Michigan), K. G. Powell (Aero/U. Michigan)
Our three-dimensional multiscale magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model is applied to the interaction of Jupiter's magnetosphere with Europa's atmosphere. The equations of ideal MHD are solved using a modern shock-capturing numerical technique. This method is applied on an unstructured grid using adaptive mesh refinement. The combination of adaptive refinement with the MUSCL-scheme allows detailed modeling of the near Europa region, while still resolving both the upstream region and the wake. The effects of a conducting ionosphere, exospheric mass, momentum, and energy loading, and possible intrinsic magnetic field are taken into consideration and examined in the light of recent Galileo measurements. Mass, momentum, and energy loading are computed from Europa's neutral atmosphere profile as recently derived from the Galileo radio occultation experiment.