Morphological differences between Saturn's ultraviolet aurorae and those of Earth and Jupiter

It has often been stated that Saturn's magnetosphere and aurorae are intermediate between those of Earth, where the dominant processes are solar wind driven, and those of Jupiter, where processes are driven by a large source of internal plasma. But this view is based on information about Saturn that is far inferior to what is now available. Here we report ultraviolet images of Saturn, which, when combined with simultaneous Cassini measurements of the solar wind and Saturn kilometric radio emission, demonstrate that its aurorae differ morphologically from those of both Earth and Jupiter. Saturn's auroral emissions vary slowly; some features appear in partial corotation whereas others are fixed to the solar wind direction; the auroral oval shifts quickly in latitude; and the aurora is often not centred on the magnetic pole nor closed on itself. In response to a large increase in solar wind dynamic pressure Saturn's aurora brightened dramatically, the brightest auroral emissions moved to higher latitudes, and the dawn side polar regions were filled with intense emissions. The brightening is reminiscent of terrestrial aurorae, but the other two variations are not. Rather than being intermediate between the Earth and Jupiter, Saturn's auroral emissions behave fundamentally differently from those at the other planets.     

Wave acceleration of electrons in the Van Allen radiation belts

The Van Allen radiation belts are two regions encircling the Earth in which energetic charged particles are trapped inside the Earth's magnetic field. Their properties vary according to solar activity and they represent a hazard to satellites and humans in space. An important challenge has been to explain how the charged particles within these belts are accelerated to very high energies of several million electron volts. Here we show, on the basis of the analysis of a rare event where the outer radiation belt was depleted and then re-formed closer to the Earth, that the long established theory of acceleration by radial diffusion is inadequate; the electrons are accelerated more effectively by electromagnetic waves at frequencies of a few kilohertz. Wave acceleration can increase the electron flux by more than three orders of magnitude over the observed timescale of one to two days, more than sufficient to explain the new radiation belt. Wave acceleration could also be important for Jupiter, Saturn and other astrophysical objects with magnetic fields.     

ENSO循环与行星位置的相互关系Ⅱ:行星视赤经与赤道东太平洋海温的联系

 利用通用天文软件SKYMap Pro Version 8提供的大行星冲日资料和计算得到的各大行星视赤经资料,分析了行星相对位置与ENSO之间的相互关系,结果发现两者之间存在明显联系,主要有:三大行星(火、木、土)在3月冲日,有利于在当年发生EL-Nino事件,且火星和木星对应的事件持续时间都较长,特别是木星3月冲日与1990s以后的2次EL-Nino群发期有很好的对应,与土星对应的事件持续较短.火星和木星在8月冲日有利于次年发生EL-Nino现象,土星则不明显.火星和木星在9月冲日容易在当年发生LA-Nina现象,而土星在9月冲日的头一年易发生EL-Nino,次年易发生LA-Nina.对行星的视赤经与赤道太平洋海温关键区之间相互关联的非偶然性检验表明,只有木星和土星存在相关区.木星视赤经相对于Nino 4海温距平大于0的概率呈现偏心结构,并存在2个奇对称区域;土星的对应区相对比较均匀,存在3个偶对称区域,且彼此相差60°,在空间上构成六角型结构.     

An Earth-like correspondence between Saturn's auroral features and radio emission

Saturn is a source of intense kilometre-wavelength radio emissions that are believed to be associated with its polar aurorae, and which provide an important remote diagnostic of its magnetospheric activity. Previous observations implied that the radio emission originated in the polar regions, and indicated a strong correlation with solar wind dynamic pressure. The radio source also appeared to be fixed near local noon and at the latitude of the ultraviolet aurora. There have, however, been no observations relating the radio emissions to detailed auroral structures. Here we report measurements of the radio emissions, which, along with high-resolution images of Saturn's ultraviolet auroral emissions, suggest that although there are differences in the global morphology of the aurorae, Saturn's radio emissions exhibit an Earth-like correspondence between bright auroral features and the radio emissions. This demonstrates the universality of the mechanism that results in emissions near the electron cyclotron frequency narrowly beamed at large angles to the magnetic field.     

木星平运动共振和Ⅰ型迁移对土星核形成的作用

采用三维N体模拟研究了在太阳星云盘中木星完全形成后土星核的快速形成.除了考虑太阳,木星及行星胚胎间的引力相互作用,还考虑了使行星胚胎发生Ⅰ型迁移和轨道圆化效应的气体盘潮汐作用.模拟表明:木星的平运动共振构型和行星Ⅰ型迁移大大地提高了行星胚胎的碰撞吸积率,同时木星的引力摄动有效地阻止大行星胚胎过快向内迁移而落入太阳中,最终在两百万年的时间内有可能在雪线之外靠近木星3:2平运动共振处吸积形成一颗土星核.     

Anti-planetward auroral electron beams at Saturn

Strong discrete aurorae on Earth are excited by electrons, which are accelerated along magnetic field lines towards the planet. Surprisingly, electrons accelerated in the opposite direction have been recently observed. The mechanisms and significance of this anti-earthward acceleration are highly uncertain because only earthward acceleration was traditionally considered, and observations remain limited. It is also unclear whether upward acceleration of the electrons is a necessary part of the auroral process or simply a special feature of Earth's complex space environment. Here we report anti-planetward acceleration of electron beams in Saturn's magnetosphere along field lines that statistically map into regions of aurora. The energy spectrum of these beams is qualitatively similar to the ones observed at Earth, and the energy fluxes in the observed beams are comparable with the energies required to excite Saturn's aurora. These beams, along with the observations at Earth and the barely understood electron beams in Jupiter's magnetosphere, demonstrate that anti-planetward acceleration is a universal feature of aurorae. The energy contained in the beams shows that upward acceleration is an essential part of the overall auroral process.     

Transient aurora on Jupiter from injections of magnetospheric electrons

Energetic electrons and ions that are trapped in Earth's magnetosphere can suddenly be accelerated towards the planet. Some dynamic features of Earth's aurora (the northern and southern lights) are created by the fraction of these injected particles that travels along magnetic field lines and hits the upper atmosphere. Jupiter's aurora appears similar to Earth's in some respects; both appear as large ovals circling the poles and both show transient events. But the magnetospheres of Jupiter and Earth are so different---particularly in the way they are powered---that it is not known whether the magnetospheric drivers of Earth's aurora also cause them on Jupiter. Here we show a direct relationship between Earth-like injections of electrons in Jupiter's magnetosphere and a transient auroral feature in Jupiter's polar region. This relationship is remarkably similar to what happens at Earth, and therefore suggests that despite the large differences between planetary magnetospheres, some processes that generate aurorae are the same throughout the Solar System.     

A low mass for Mars from Jupiter's early gas-driven migration

Jupiter and Saturn formed in a few million years (ref. 1) from a gas-dominated protoplanetary disk, and were susceptible to gas-driven migration of their orbits on timescales of only ～100,000 years (ref. 2). Hydrodynamic simulations show that these giant planets can undergo a two-stage, inward-then-outward, migration. The terrestrial planets finished accreting much later, and their characteristics, including Mars' small mass, are best reproduced by starting from a planetesimal disk with an outer edge at about one astronomical unit from the Sun (1 au is the Earth-Sun distance). Here we report simulations of the early Solar System that show how the inward migration of Jupiter to 1.5 au, and its subsequent outward migration, lead to a planetesimal disk truncated at 1 au; the terrestrial planets then form from this disk over the next 30-50 million years, with an Earth/Mars mass ratio consistent with observations. Scattering by Jupiter initially empties but then repopulates the asteroid belt, with inner-belt bodies originating between 1 and 3 au and outer-belt bodies originating between and beyond the giant planets. This explains the significant compositional differences across the asteroid belt. The key aspect missing from previous models of terrestrial planet formation is the substantial radial migration of the giant planets, which suggests that their behaviour is more similar to that inferred for extrasolar planets than previously thought.     

ENSO循环与行星位置的相互关系(Ⅰ):木星、土星视赤纬与赤道东太平洋海温的联系

 利用通用天文软件SKYMap Pro Version 8计算了木星和土星的月视赤纬,将其与ENSO循环及赤道太平洋关键区海温距平进行对比分析,发现两者存在明显联系,主要包括:木星视赤纬由正经过赤道变为负时,容易发生EL-Nino事件,而且事件持续时间较长,1980年代及以前发生过3次这样的情况都对应持续较长的EL-Nino事件,1980年代以后的2次EL-Nino事件群发期,其中心都发生在木星视赤纬从正向负转化期间.EL-Nino易发生在木星视赤纬的正极值和赤道附近,而负极值附近很少发生.LA-Nnia事件在1980年代及以前发生在木星视赤纬极值和赤道之间的中间视赤纬区域内,但1980年代以后,则容易发生在木星视赤纬负极值附近.一些EL-Nino事件发生年的木星视赤纬位置近乎在1条直线上,过去60年中有4条这样的直线,将EL-Nino事件分成4个组,每个组内都准确地由4个事件组成.当土星视赤纬靠近或离开赤道时(大概在±5°~10°),都会有EL-Nino发生,但在赤道区域却几乎不发生EL-Nino事件.     

Origin of the orbital architecture of the giant planets of the Solar System

Planetary formation theories suggest that the giant planets formed on circular and coplanar orbits. The eccentricities of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus, however, reach values of 6 per cent, 9 per cent and 8 per cent, respectively. In addition, the inclinations of the orbital planes of Saturn, Uranus and Neptune take maximum values of approximately 2 degrees with respect to the mean orbital plane of Jupiter. Existing models for the excitation of the eccentricity of extrasolar giant planets have not been successfully applied to the Solar System. Here we show that a planetary system with initial quasi-circular, coplanar orbits would have evolved to the current orbital configuration, provided that Jupiter and Saturn crossed their 1:2 orbital resonance. We show that this resonance crossing could have occurred as the giant planets migrated owing to their interaction with a disk of planetesimals. Our model reproduces all the important characteristics of the giant planets' orbits, namely their final semimajor axes, eccentricities and mutual inclinations.     

Discovery of an aurora on Mars

In the high-latitude regions of Earth, aurorae are the often-spectacular visual manifestation of the interaction between electrically charged particles (electrons, protons or ions) with the neutral upper atmosphere, as they precipitate along magnetic field lines. More generally, auroral emissions in planetary atmospheres "are those that result from the impact of particles other than photoelectrons" (ref. 1). Auroral activity has been found on all four giant planets possessing a magnetic field (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune), as well as on Venus, which has no magnetic field. On the nightside of Venus, atomic O emissions at 130.4 nm and 135.6 nm appear in bright patches of varying sizes and intensities, which are believed to be produced by electrons with energy <300 eV (ref. 7). Here we report the discovery of an aurora in the martian atmosphere, using the ultraviolet spectrometer SPICAM on board Mars Express. It corresponds to a distinct type of aurora not seen before in the Solar System: it is unlike aurorae at Earth and the giant planets, which lie at the foot of the intrinsic magnetic field lines near the magnetic poles, and unlike venusian auroras, which are diffuse, sometimes spreading over the entire disk. Instead, the martian aurora is a highly concentrated and localized emission controlled by magnetic field anomalies in the martian crust.     

Downward current electron beams observed at the dipolarization front

The strong field-aligned pitch angle distribution of electrons is observed right at the dipolarization front (DF) before the arriving of a high speed flow when the four Cluster satellites are traveling in the magnetotail around 15 R E on July 22, 2001. The increased electron fluxes only last for a short time period at the DF, corresponding to just a few bouncing periods for 1 keV electrons. The field-aligned current contributed by these electrons agrees well with that calculated by the magnetic field observations by four satellites at the front. These electron streams are found in the energy range of 0.2-2 keV, peak around 1 keV. It is suggested that these downward current electrons may be originated near the aurora region by some kinds of potential structure. The occurrence of these electrons implies that the formation of the dipolarization front and the associated field-aligned current play an important role in the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling.     

An equatorial oscillation in Saturn's middle atmosphere

The middle atmospheres of planets are driven by a combination of radiative heating and cooling, mean meridional motions, and vertically propagating waves (which originate in the deep troposphere). It is very difficult to model these effects and, therefore, observations are essential to advancing our understanding of atmospheres. The equatorial stratospheres of Earth and Jupiter oscillate quasi-periodically on timescales of about two and four years, respectively, driven by wave-induced momentum transport. On Venus and Titan, waves originating from surface-atmosphere interaction and inertial instability are thought to drive the atmosphere to rotate more rapidly than the surface (superrotation). However, the relevant wave modes have not yet been precisely identified. Here we report infrared observations showing that Saturn has an equatorial oscillation like those found on Earth and Jupiter, as well as a mid-latitude subsidence that may be associated with the equatorial motion. The latitudinal extent of Saturn's oscillation shows that it obeys the same basic physics as do those on Earth and Jupiter. Future highly resolved observations of the temperature profile together with modelling of these three different atmospheres will allow us determine the wave mode, the wavelength and the wave amplitude that lead to middle atmosphere oscillation.     

Ultraviolet emissions from the magnetic footprints of Io, Ganymede and Europa on Jupiter

Io leaves a magnetic footprint on Jupiter's upper atmosphere that appears as a spot of ultraviolet emission that remains fixed underneath Io as Jupiter rotates. The specific physical mechanisms responsible for generating those emissions are not well understood, but in general the spot seems to arise because of an electromagnetic interaction between Jupiter's magnetic field and the plasma surrounding Io, driving currents of around 1 million amperes down through Jupiter's ionosphere. The other galilean satellites may also leave footprints, and the presence or absence of such footprints should illuminate the underlying physical mechanism by revealing the strengths of the currents linking the satellites to Jupiter. Here we report persistent, faint, far-ultraviolet emission from the jovian footprints of Ganymede and Europa. We also show that Io's magnetic footprint extends well beyond the immediate vicinity of Io's flux-tube interaction with Jupiter, and much farther than predicted theoretically; the emission persists for several hours downstream. We infer from these data that Ganymede and Europa have persistent interactions with Jupiter's magnetic field despite their thin atmospheres.     

Chaos-assisted capture of irregular moons

It has been thought that the capture of irregular moons--with non-circular orbits--by giant planets occurs by a process in which they are first temporarily trapped by gravity inside the planet's Hill sphere (the region where planetary gravity dominates over solar tides). The capture of the moons is then made permanent by dissipative energy loss (for example, gas drag) or planetary growth. But the observed distributions of orbital inclinations, which now include numerous newly discovered moons, cannot be explained using current models. Here we show that irregular satellites are captured in a thin spatial region where orbits are chaotic, and that the resulting orbit is either prograde or retrograde depending on the initial energy. Dissipation then switches these long-lived chaotic orbits into nearby regular (non-chaotic) zones from which escape is impossible. The chaotic layer therefore dictates the final inclinations of the captured moons. We confirm this with three-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations that include nebular drag, and find good agreement with the observed inclination distributions of irregular moons at Jupiter and Saturn. In particular, Saturn has more prograde irregular moons than Jupiter, which we can explain as a result of the chaotic prograde progenitors being more efficiently swept away from Jupiter by its galilean moons.     

The formation of Uranus and Neptune in the Jupiter-Saturn region of the Solar System

Planets are believed to have formed through the accumulation of a large number of small bodies. In the case of the gas-giant planets Jupiter and Saturn, they accreted a significant amount of gas directly from the protosolar nebula after accumulating solid cores of about 5-15 Earth masses. Such models, however, have been unable to produce the smaller ice giants Uranus and Neptune at their present locations, because in that region of the Solar System the small planetary bodies will have been more widely spaced, and less tightly bound gravitationally to the Sun. When applied to the current Jupiter-Saturn zone, a recent theory predicts that, in addition to the solid cores of Jupiter and Saturn, two or three other solid bodies of comparable mass are likely to have formed. Here we report the results of model calculations that demonstrate that such cores will have been gravitationally scattered outwards as Jupiter, and perhaps Saturn, accreted nebular gas. The orbits of these cores then evolve into orbits that resemble those of Uranus and Neptune, as a result of gravitational interactions with the small bodies in the outer disk of the protosolar nebula.     

Jovian-like aurorae on Saturn

Planetary aurorae are formed by energetic charged particles streaming along the planet's magnetic field lines into the upper atmosphere from the surrounding space environment. Earth's main auroral oval is formed through interactions with the solar wind, whereas that at Jupiter is formed through interactions with plasma from the moon Io inside its magnetic field (although other processes form aurorae at both planets). At Saturn, only the main auroral oval has previously been observed and there remains much debate over its origin. Here we report the discovery of a secondary oval at Saturn that is approximately 25 per cent as bright as the main oval, and we show this to be caused by interaction with the middle magnetosphere around the planet. This is a weak equivalent of Jupiter's main oval, its relative dimness being due to the lack of as large a source of ions as Jupiter's volcanic moon Io. This result suggests that differences seen in the auroral emissions from Saturn and Jupiter are due to scaling differences in the conditions at each of these two planets, whereas the underlying formation processes are the same.     

An interplanetary shock traced by planetary auroral storms from the Sun to Saturn

A relationship between solar activity and aurorae on Earth was postulated long before space probes directly detected plasma propagating outwards from the Sun. Violent solar eruption events trigger interplanetary shocks that compress Earth's magnetosphere, leading to increased energetic particle precipitation into the ionosphere and subsequent auroral storms. Monitoring shocks is now part of the 'Space Weather' forecast programme aimed at predicting solar-activity-related environmental hazards. The outer planets also experience aurorae, and here we report the discovery of a strong transient polar emission on Saturn, tentatively attributed to the passage of an interplanetary shock--and ultimately to a series of solar coronal mass ejection (CME) events. We could trace the shock-triggered events from Earth, where auroral storms were recorded, to Jupiter, where the auroral activity was strongly enhanced, and to Saturn, where it activated the unusual polar source. This establishes that shocks retain their properties and their ability to trigger planetary auroral activity throughout the Solar System. Our results also reveal differences in the planetary auroral responses on the passing shock, especially in their latitudinal and local time dependences.     

Diapir-induced reorientation of Saturn's moon Enceladus

Enceladus is a small icy satellite of Saturn. Its south polar region consists of young, tectonically deformed terrain and has an anomalously high heat flux. This heat flux is probably due to localized tidal dissipation within either the ice shell or the underlying silicate core. The surface deformation is plausibly due to upwelling of low-density material (diapirism) as a result of this tidal heating. Here we show that the current polar location of the hotspot can be explained by reorientation of the satellite's rotation axis because of the presence of a low-density diapir. If the diapir is in the ice shell, then the shell must be relatively thick and maintain significant rigidity (elastic thickness greater than approximately 0.5 km); if the diapir is in the silicate core, then Enceladus cannot possess a global subsurface ocean, because the core must be coupled to the overlying ice for reorientation to occur. The reorientation generates large (approximately 10 MPa) tectonic stress patterns that are compatible with the observed deformation of the south polar region. We predict that the distribution of impact craters on the surface will not show the usual leading hemisphere-trailing hemisphere asymmetry. A low-density diapir also yields a potentially observable negative gravity anomaly.     

Chaotic capture of Jupiter's Trojan asteroids in the early Solar System

Jupiter's Trojans are asteroids that follow essentially the same orbit as Jupiter, but lead or trail the planet by an angular distance of approximately 60 degrees (co-orbital motion). They are hypothesized to be planetesimals that formed near Jupiter and were captured onto their current orbits while Jupiter was growing, possibly with the help of gas drag and/or collisions. This idea, however, cannot explain some basic properties of the Trojan population, in particular its broad orbital inclination distribution, which ranges up to approximately 40 degrees (ref. 8). Here we show that the Trojans could have formed in more distant regions and been subsequently captured into co-orbital motion with Jupiter during the time when the giant planets migrated by removing neighbouring planetesimals. The capture was possible during a short period of time, just after Jupiter and Saturn crossed their mutual 1:2 resonance, when the dynamics of the Trojan region were completely chaotic. Our simulations of this process satisfactorily reproduce the orbital distribution of the Trojans and their total mass.