The study found that the surface ice of Europa was indeed slightly glowing
A new study proposes that due to the strafing of Jupiter's magnetic field, Europa's ice surface emits a different amount of light than any in the solar system. Although we can't observe this light yet, the team simulated the production of this light in the lab.
Europa, a snow-covered planet in distant space. It's fascinating not only because it's one of the nearly 80 known moons of Jupiter, but more importantly, because of what the planet itself has, something extraordinary.
Scientists speculate that beneath the ice on Europa's surface lies a vast ocean: the abundance of water reserves makes it one of the solar system's most promising planets for life.
Yet the latest research suggests that europa shines not just the light of hope that may exist, but other reasons why it shines — it's a moon that glows in the dark in the true sense of the word.
A new study led by physicist Murphy Gudipaty and led by a team of researchers from The California Institute of Technology and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory suggests that radiation from Jupiter's magnetic field, which reacts with chemicals in Europa's ice, may be responsible for this luminous phenomenon.
"Due to Jupiter's strong magnetic field, charged particles on Europa's surface continue to be highly active." The research team explained in their report.
"These high-energy charged particles, including electrons, interact with a large number of salt-rich ice layers on the surface of the planet, and complex physical and chemical reactions occur."
Because of the lack of a full understanding of the chemical composition of the ice on the planet's surface, it is not clear how these reactions proceed. And so far, neither the Keck Observatory in Hawaii nor the Hubble Space Telescope has observed this theoretical luminous phenomenon.
But over the next decade, when NASA's Europa Clipper ships visit the satellite, we'll have the opportunity to see up close the landscape, known as electroluminescence.
At this stage, we can also simulate the ice on Europa and the high-energy electron rays of Jupiter on Earth to reproduce the entire reaction process.
The Team led by Gudipaty conducted a series of experiments at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, condensing water into ice, freezing the ice to 100 degrees Kelvin in an aluminum tube (i.e., minus 173.15 degrees Celsius, or minus 279.67 degrees Fahrenheit) and exposing them to the radiation of the electron pulse.
Visible light from ice nuclei under light, shimmer and dark conditions (Credit: Gudipaty et al., from the journal Nature Astronomy in 2020)
At this point, the ice core emits a flash of light, and the intensity of the flash depends on what chemicals are contained in the frozen water.
"We simulated europa's ice emitting light from specific segments of the spectrum in the visible range when illuminated by high-energy electron rays." The researchers wrote in the report.
"The experiment found that the intensity of luminescence is greatly reduced due to the presence of sodium chloride and carbonate in the water, while the presence of epsom salts (aqueous magnesium sulfate) increases the intensity of luminescence."
The results of the study confirm an incredibly tantalizing guess that Europa has been emitting a glimmer of light in the distances we can't observe. In addition, the results of the study also point to new ways for us to study this ice and snow planet.
Specifically, using the europa clipper's imaging system, we can observe the planet's luminous phenomena from a satellite orbit at an altitude of 50 kilometers (30 miles). By performing spectroscopic analysis, we can discern chemicals other than pure water from its ice, which will further reveal the chemical makeup of Europa's ice.
The new research technique not only helps future studies of Europa, it also opens up new ideas for studying Jupiter's other moons, such as Io and Kenimede, but researchers eventually have to admit that such a wonderful phenomenon that occurs on Europa is likely to be unique and unrepeatable.
The team concluded: "Due to the unique radiation environment on Europa's surface, and its geological and constitutive uniqueness, it has led to extremely special luminescence that cannot be found in the entire solar system." ”
BY: PETER DOCKRILL
FY: Renee
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