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Colloquium: From the thermodynamic evolution of the protosolar nebula to the current composition of the Jovian system
24/05/2023 @ 12:45 - 13:45 CEST
FreeTitle: From the thermodynamic evolution of the protosolar nebula to the current composition of the Jovian system
Speaker: Prof Olivier Mousis, Aix-Marseille Université, France
Recently, the microwave radiometer aboard the Juno spacecraft provided a measurement of the water abundance in the equatorial region of Jupiter, from 0 to 4 degrees of north latitude, and in the 0.7-30 bar pressure domain. The water abundance in this region of Jupiter was found to range between 1 and 5 times the protosolar abundance of oxygen at 1-sigma, but could be as low as zero if one considers the two-sigma determination. Here, we aim to combine this range of possible oxygen abundances with the other known measurements of elemental abundances in Jupiter, to discuss the mechanisms that could explain i) the observed metallicity of its envelope, and ii) the monotonic decrease in bulk density of the Galilean moons. We find that a large range of metallicities of Jupiter’s envelope could be explained by the agglomeration of solids condensed in its feeding zone and/or by accretion of gas during its growth. Our study illustrates the importance of measuring the elemental abundances in the giant planets atmospheres, as they can be used to trace the planetary formation location and/or the chemical and physical conditions that took place during the formation of their moons.