Solar System Astrophysics

by Milone, Eugene F.; Wilson, William J. F.

• ISBN13: 9780387731568
• ISBN10: 0387731563
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-08-01
• Publisher: Springer Verlag

Summary

This volume of Solar System Astrophysics opens with coverage of the atmospheres, ionospheres and magnetospheres of the Earth, Venus and Mars and the magnetosphere of Mercury. The book then provides an introduction to meteorology and treats the physics and chemistry of these planets in extensive detail. This is followed by the structure, composition, particle environments, satellites, and rings of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Abundant use is made of results from space probes.

Table of Contents

Planetary Atmospheres	p. 1
Atmospheric Constituents	p. 1
Atmospheric Structure	p. 4
Pressure Variation with Height	p. 4
Temperature Variation with Height	p. 7
Circulation in the Atmosphere	p. 11
Centrifugal and Coriolis Forces	p. 11
Physical Effects of the Centrifugal and Coriolis Forces	p. 13
The Centrifugal Force	p. 13
The Coriolis Force	p. 15
Pressure Gradient Force	p. 16
Friction	p. 17
Geostrophic Balance and Geostrophic Winds	p. 18
Thermal Effects	p. 19
Thermal Circulation	p. 19
The Thermal Wind	p. 20
Global Circulation	p. 22
The Observed Surface Pattern	p. 22
The Hadley Cell	p. 24
The Ferrel and Polar Cells	p. 25
Eddie Motions in the Westerlies	p. 26
Air Masses and Fronts	p. 27
Jet Streams	p. 27
Atmospheric Effects on the Heat Budget	p. 30
The Earth	p. 30
Troposphere of the Earth	p. 31
Stratosphere and Mesosphere	p. 32
Thermosphere	p. 33
Exosphere	p. 34
Mars	p. 34
Troposphere	p. 36
Stratomesosphere	p. 36
Thermosphere	p. 36
Venus	p. 36
Troposphere	p. 37
Stratomesosphere	p. 37
Thermosphere	p. 37
Planetary Circulation Effects	p. 38
Circulation and the Coriolis Force	p. 38
Meridional (N-S) Circulation	p. 39
Zonal (E-W) Circulation	p. 39
Mars	p. 40
Venus	p. 41
Atmospheric Superrotation	p. 41
Cyclostrophic Balance	p. 41
Atmospheric Angular Momentum	p. 42
Superrotation vs. Other Circulation Patterns	p. 43
Other Considerations	p. 44
Latent Heat	p. 44
Thermal Inertia	p. 44
Brunt-Vaisala Frequency	p. 44
Diffusion and Mixing in Planetary Atmospheres	p. 45
Diffusion	p. 45
Diffusion vs. Mixing	p. 47
The Homopause	p. 48
Chemical Cycles	p. 48
Carbon Cycle (Earth)	p. 48
Oxygen Cycle (Earth)	p. 48
Nitrogen Cycle (Earth)	p. 49
Sulfur Cycle (Earth)	p. 51
Sulfur Cycle (Venus)	p. 52
Thermospheric Chemistry of Neutrals (Earth)	p. 53
Excess Radiation	p. 54
Planetary Ionospheres and Magnetospheres	p. 57
Earth: Ionospheric Layers	p. 57
The F Layer	p. 57
Atoms and Ions in the F Layer	p. 57
Production Mechanisms	p. 58
Loss Mechanisms	p. 58
Ion Concentration vs. Altitude	p. 59
Charge Separation	p. 60
The E Layer	p. 60
Atoms and Ions in the E Layer	p. 60
Production Mechanisms	p. 60
Loss Mechanisms	p. 61
The D Layer	p. 61
Dominant Ions	p. 61
Production Mechanisms	p. 62
Loss Mechanisms	p. 63
Reflection of Radio Waves	p. 63
Atmospheric and Ionospheric Chemistry on Mars and Venus	p. 64
Neutral Atmosphere of Mars	p. 64
Neutral Atmosphere of Venus	p. 65
Ionosphere of Mars	p. 66
Dominant Ions	p. 66
Production Mechanisms	p. 66
Loss Mechanisms	p. 67
Ionosphere of Venus	p. 67
Dominant Ions	p. 67
Production and Loss Mechanisms	p. 68
Atmospheric Escape Mechanisms	p. 68
Jeans Escape	p. 68
Suprathermal Atoms and Ions	p. 69
Solar Wind	p. 69
Maxwell's Equations and the Plasma Frequency	p. 70
Maxwell's Equations	p. 70
Application to a Polarized Wave	p. 72
The Earth's Magnetosphere	p. 75
Forces Acting on Charged Particles	p. 79
The Lorentz Force	p. 79
The Gravitational Force	p. 79
E Uniform and Time-Independent; B = 0	p. 79
B Uniform and Time-Independent; E = 0	p. 80
Guiding Center	p. 82
Diamagnetism	p. 83
E x B Drift and Field-Aligned Currents	p. 84
E x B Drift with Collisions	p. 86
Polarization Drift	p. 87
Gradient and Curvature Drift	p. 88
Gradient Drift	p. 88
Curvature Drift	p. 89
Electric Currents in the Ionosphere and Magnetosphere	p. 90
The Ionospheric Dynamo	p. 90
The S[subscript q] ("Solar Quiet") Current System	p. 90
The L[subscript q] ("Lunar Quiet") Current System	p. 90
Boundary Current	p. 91
Ring Current	p. 92
Magnetic Mirrors	p. 92
Characteristics of the Motion	p. 93
Trapping and Precipitation	p. 95
The Ring Current	p. 98
Magnetic Storms	p. 99
Magnetospheric Convection	p. 100
The Magnetotail Current Sheet	p. 101
Magnetospheric Substorms	p. 102
Coupling Between the Magnetosphere and the Ionosphere	p. 103
Magnetospheres of Mercury, Venus, and Mars	p. 107
Mercury	p. 107
Venus	p. 110
Mars	p. 113
The Giant Planets	p. 119
Jupiter	p. 119
Visible Phenomena	p. 121
Jovian Atmospheric Structure	p. 126
Saturn	p. 128
Uranus	p. 131
Neptune	p. 133
Internal Pressures	p. 136
Excess Radiation	p. 137
Ionospheres of the Giant Planets	p. 139
The Jovian Magnetosphere	p. 140
Inner Magnetosphere of Jupiter	p. 141
Middle Magnetosphere of Jupiter	p. 141
Outer Magnetosphere of Jupiter	p. 142
Interaction with Io	p. 143
DAM	p. 145
Neutral and Ionized Population of the Jovian Magnetosphere	p. 145
Io as a Source of Particles	p. 146
Rate of Supply	p. 146
Loss Mechanisms from Io	p. 146
Satellite and Ring Systems	p. 151
Satellites	p. 151
The Moons of Mars	p. 161
The Moons of Jupiter	p. 163
Io	p. 164
Europa	p. 166
Ganymede	p. 168
Callisto	p. 170
The Moons of Saturn	p. 173
Titan	p. 175
Uranian Moons	p. 183
Neptunian Moons	p. 184
Triton	p. 185
Pluto-Charon	p. 186
Origins of Ring systems	p. 189
Ring Structures	p. 192
Jovian Rings	p. 192
Saturnian Rings	p. 192
Uranian Rings	p. 198
Neptunian Rings	p. 200
Nature and Possible Origins of the Ring Structures	p. 201
Orbital Stability of the Moons and the Case of Pluto	p. 203
Satellite Stability	p. 203
Conjectures about Pluto	p. 205
Origins of the Moons	p. 207
Comets and Meteors	p. 213
Comets in History	p. 213
Early History	p. 213
Tycho Brahe and the Comet of 1577	p. 215
Later Historical Studies	p. 216
Comet Designations	p. 218
Cometary Orbits	p. 220
Typical and Historically Important Comets	p. 225
Cometary Structure	p. 229
Cometary Composition	p. 231
Origins of Comets	p. 237
Cometary Demise	p. 240
Meteor Showers	p. 242
Meteors	p. 243
Basic Meteor Phenomena and Circumstances	p. 243
Meteor Heating and Incandescence	p. 243
Micrometeorites	p. 249
Dust Destinies	p. 251
Radiation Pressure	p. 251
Meteorites, Asteroids and the Age and Origin of the Solar System	p. 257
Stones from Heaven	p. 257
Categories and Nomenclature of Meteorites	p. 258
Broad Categories	p. 258
Another Distinction: Falls and Finds	p. 259
Nomenclature	p. 259
Petrographic Categories	p. 259
Meteorite Groupings and Subgroupings	p. 260
Undifferentiated Meteorites	p. 260
Differentiated Meteorites	p. 262
Undifferentiated Meteorites: the Chondrites	p. 265
Defining the Chondrites	p. 265
Carbonaceous Chondrites	p. 269
Ordinary Chondrites	p. 270
Enstatites	p. 270
The R Group	p. 271
Former Members, from the IAB Clan	p. 271
Origins of the Chondrites	p. 271
DSR Meteorites	p. 273
The Igneous Clan	p. 273
Other DSR Meteorites	p. 274
Iron Meteorites	p. 277
Ages and Origins of Meteorites	p. 279
Radiogenic Ages	p. 279
Gas Retention Ages	p. 282
Cosmic Ray Exposure Ages	p. 283
Case Study: The Zagami SNC Basaltic Shergottite	p. 283
Other Sources of Evidence for Meteoritic Origins	p. 284
Parent Bodies and the Asteroids	p. 286
The Discovery of Ceres	p. 286
Nomenclature	p. 287
Families of Orbits	p. 290
Dimensions and Masses of Asteroids	p. 293
Asteroid Dimensions and Albedo	p. 293
Asteroid Masses and Densities	p. 297
Asteroids and Meteorites	p. 298
Implications for the Origin of the Solar System	p. 302
The Solar Nebula	p. 303
The Proto-Planetary Disk	p. 305
Extra-Solar Planetary Systems	p. 313
Historical Perspective	p. 313
Methods to Find "Small"-Mass Companions	p. 338
Radial Velocity Variations of the Visible Component	p. 338
Transit eclipses	p. 342
Astrometric Variations	p. 347
Gravitational Lensing	p. 348
Direct Imaging and Spectroscopy	p. 350
Pulsar Timings	p. 351
Indirect Effects	p. 352
Definitions of Planets and Brown Dwarfs	p. 353
Extra-Solar Planets Detected or Strongly Suspected	p. 356
HD 209458b	p. 358
The Multi-Planet System of v Andromedae	p. 360
The Multi-Planet System of 55 Cancri	p. 361
The Multi-Planet System of HD 37124	p. 361
The Multi-Planet System of HD 69830	p. 362
The Multi-Planet System of Gliese J 876	p. 363
The [epsilon] Eridani System	p. 363
The TrES-1 System	p. 364
The XO-1 System	p. 365
The OGLE-TR-10 System	p. 366
Origins of Brown Dwarfs and Planets	p. 367
Index	p. 387
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