Multi‐Fluid MHD Simulations of Europa's Plasma Interaction Under Different Magnetospheric Conditions

Abstract

AbstractEuropa hosts a periodically changing plasma interaction driven by the variations of Jupiter's magnetic field and magnetospheric plasma. We have developed a multi‐fluid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model for Europa to characterize the global configuration of the plasma interaction with the moon and its tenuous atmosphere. The model solves the multi‐fluid MHD equations for electrons and three ion fluids (Jupiter's magnetospheric O+, as well as O+ and O2+ originating from Europa's atmosphere) while incorporating sources and losses in the MHD equations due to electron impact and photo‐ionization, charge exchange, recombination and other relevant collisional effects. Using input parameters constrained by the Galileo magnetic field and plasma observations, we first demonstrate the accuracy of our model by simulating the Galileo E4 and E14 flybys, which took place under different upstream conditions and sampled different regions of Europa's interaction. Our model produces 3D magnetic field and plasma bulk parameters that agree with and provide context for the flyby observations. We next present the results of a parameter study of Europa's plasma interaction at three different excursions from Jupiter's central plasma sheet, for three different global magnetospheric states, comprising nine steady‐state simulations. By separately tracking multiple ion fluids, our MHD model allows us to quantify the access of the Jovian magnetospheric plasma to Europa's surface and determine how that access is affected by changing magnetospheric conditions. We find that the thermal magnetospheric O+ precipitation rate ranges from (1.8–26) × 1024 ions/s, and that the precipitation rate increases with the density of the ambient magnetospheric plasma.