Spatial distribution of plasma in the Io torus

Abstract

In situ measurements of ion densities and temperatures have been analyzed to produce profiles of these plasma parameters along the Voyager 1 inbound trajectory between 7 and 5 R J . The temperature profile shows a sharp decrease by a factor of ∼50 between 5.8 and 5.2R J corresponding to a temperature gradient of ∼7 × 10 5 per R J . The electron density profile, inferred from the ion density measurements, has two maxima at 5.7 and 5.3 R J . A two‐dimensional model of the spatial distribution of various ionic species in the Io plasma torus has been constructed. Using this model a contour map of electron density in a meridional plane has been made, it exhibits a well‐defined inner edge to the torus at 5.6 R J . The contour map of S + ion density indicates that most of the S + ions are concentrated close to the centrifugal symmetry surface and radially inward of the larger electron density maximum near 5.7 R J .