HST/ACS Observations of Europa's Atmospheric UV Emission at Eastern Elongation

Abstract

We report results of a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) campaign with the Advanced Camera for Surveys to observe Europa at eastern elongation, i.e. Europa's leading side, on 2008 June 29. With five consecutive HST orbits, we constrain Europa's atmospheric \ion{O}{1} 1304 \A and \ion{O}{1} 1356 \A emissions using the prism PR130L. The total emissions of both oxygen multiplets range between 132 $\pm$ 14 and 226 $\pm$ 14 Rayleigh. An additional systematic error with values on the same order as the statistical errors may be due to uncertainties in modelling the reflected light from Europa's surface. The total emission also shows a clear dependence of Europa's position with respect to Jupiter's magnetospheric plasma sheet. We derive a lower limit for the O$_2$ column density of 6 $\times$ 10$^{18}$ m$^{-2}$. Previous observations of Europa's atmosphere with STIS in 1999 of Europa's trailing side show an enigmatic surplus of radiation on the anti-Jovian side within the disk of Europa. With emission from a radially symmetric atmosphere as a reference, we searched for an anti-Jovian vs sub-Jovian asymmetry with respect to the central meridian on the leading side, and found none. Likewise, we searched for departures from a radially symmetric atmospheric emission and found an emission surplus centered around 90 degree west longitude, for which plausible mechanisms exist. Previous work about the possibility of plumes on Europa due to tidally-driven shear heating found longitudes with strongest local strain rates which might be consistent with the longitudes of maximum UV emissions. Alternatively, asymmetries in Europa's UV emission can also be caused by inhomogeneous surface properties, inhomogeneous solar illuminations, and/or by Europa's complex plasma interaction with Jupiter's magnetosphere.