Abstract
Recent observational evidence for sodium-bearing molecular ions in the Io plasma torus has strong implications for the nature of Io's atmosphere (Schneider et al. 1991, Science 253, 1394-1397). We use a Monte Carlo model of fast-sodium production to analyze high-resolution ground-based images of sodium emission. We find the observations can be explained if a significant fraction of Io's exobase is molecular, possibly including a sodium-bearing molecule. Total sodium loss rates from Io imply a collisionally thick atmosphere. Most of the images indicate significant slow-down of the corotating plasma near Io.
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