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Published August 2022 | Version Published
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Juno Spacecraft Measurements of Jupiter's Gravity Imply a Dilute Core

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Abstract

The Juno spacecraft measured Jupiter's gravity field and determined the even and odd zonal harmonics, Jₙ, with unprecedented precision. However, interpreting these observations has been a challenge because it is difficult to reconcile the unexpectedly small magnitudes of the moments J₄ and J₆ with conventional interior models that assume a large, distinct core of rock and ice. Here we show that the entire set of gravity harmonics can be matched with models that assume an ab initio equation of state, wind profiles, and a dilute core of heavy elements that are distributed as far out as 63% of the planet's radius. In the core region, heavy elements are predicted to be distributed uniformly and make up only 18% by mass because of dilution with hydrogen and helium. Our models are consistent with the existence of primary and secondary dynamo layers that will help explain the complexity of the observed magnetic field.

Additional Information

© 2022. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society. Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. Received 2022 May 31; revised 2022 July 1; accepted 2022 July 1; published 2022 August 4.

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Eprint ID
116098
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CaltechAUTHORS:20220804-981005000

Related works

Describes
10.3847/PSJ/ac7ec8 (DOI)

Dates

Created
2022-08-09
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Updated
2022-08-09
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Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences (GPS)