A New View of Jupiter's Mantle and Core with a First-Principles Equation of State
William Hubbard
University of Arizona, LPL
September 24, 2007, 4PM, Steward N210
A new equation of state for hydrogen-helium mixtures
(developed by Burkhard Militzer) implies that Jupiter possesses a central
core about 14 Earth masses (ME) of denser elements, a result that supports
a standard model for the formation of hydrogen-rich giant planets.
Jupiter’s envelope shows only modest enrichment of such elements,
indicating that compositional measurements from the 1995 Galileo Entry
Probe mission may be representative of the entire planet. The transition
from molecular to metallic hydrogen is continuous in Jupiter. The
preferred interior model is consistent with modest helium depletion at
pressures lower than about 600 GPa. The new equation of state implies
that jovian interior dynamics has an observable effect on the measured
gravity field.
Back to TAP colloquia