Photophoresis in the circumjovian disk and its impact on the orbital configuration of the Galilean satellites

Abstract

Jupiter has four large regular satellites called the Galilean satellites: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. The inner three of the Galilean satellites orbit in a 4:2:1 mean motion resonance; therefore their orbital configuration may originate from the stopping of the migration of Io near the bump in the surface density distribution and following resonant trapping of Europa and Ganymede. The formation mechanism of the bump near the orbit of the innermost satellite, Io, is not yet understood, however. Here, we show that photophoresis in the circumjovian disk could be the cause of the bump, using analytic calculations of steady-state accretion disks. We propose that photophoresis in the circumjovian disk could stop the inward migration of dust particles near the orbit of Io. The resulting dust depleted inner region would have a higher ionization fraction, and thus admit increased magnetorotational-instability-driven accretion stress than the outer region. The increase of the accretion stress at the photophoretic dust barrier would form a bump in the surface density distribution, halting the migration of Io.