Abstract:
Resonances, both past and present, have profoundly affected Jupiter's four largest satellites. In their current configuration, the resonant interactions between Io, Europa, and Ganymede tap the spin energy of Jupiter to power the volcanos on Io and to melt the icy shell of Europa. But when did the current Laplace configuration first arise? As with Earth's Moon, tidal interactions have been actively pushing the Galilean satellites radially outward for billions of years. So where did these satellites first form? Have they ever been deeper in resonance than they are now? Why is Europa's orbit tilted so much and Io's so little? My investigations of these interesting questions have been fruitful and are beginning to provide new answers. In particular, the requirement that certain resonances must have been encountered in the past, while others must have been avoided, puts strong constraints on the satellite formation distances.
Coffee and tea will be served 20 minutes prior to the seminar.
* This is a Joint Seminar is co-organized with the Department of Earth Sciences.