Neutral Oxygen and Sulfur Densities in the Io Torus

Abstract

Ultraviolet spectra (1150-1750 A) of the Io torus, obtained using a rocket-borne telescope and spectrometer in May 1981, show emissions of neutral sulfur and neutral oxygen, as well as ionic emissions of S II, S III, and S IV. The emissions are observed almost 180 deg from the location of the satellite Io and imply the existence of an extended neutral atomic cloud associated with the torus. In the present work, neutral densities and ion mixing ratios are derived by modeling the observations using torus electron temperature and density profiles proportional to those at the time of the Voyager 1 encounter. The model includes the effects of photoexcitation, which can be considerable if the neutral cloud is large enough. At the time of the observation, substantial densities of neutral oxygen and neutral sulfur are found in regions of the torus far from Io. These lower limits on the neutral densities are compared to theoretical models of the neutral source, and the ion mixing ratios are compared to IUE observations of the torus obtained over a period of 5 yr. Arguments that tend to rule out Europa as the source of the neutral emission are also presented.