Μάθημα : Ενημέρωση φοιτητών κατεύθυνσης Αστροφυσικής

Abstract: Jupiter’s atmosphere is one of the most turbulent places in the solar system. The Juno spacecraft discovered that Jovian high latitudes host a cluster of large cyclones with diameter of around 5,000 km, each associated with intermediate- (roughly between 500 and 1,500 km) and smaller-scale vortices and filaments of around 100 km. Here, we analyse infrared images from Juno with a high resolution of 10 km. We unveil a dynamical regime associated with a significant energy source of convective origin that peaks at 100 km scales and in which energy gets subsequently transferred upscale to the large circumpolar and polar cyclones.  This energy route is expected to enhance the heat transfer from Jupiter’s hot interior to its troposphere and may also be relevant to the Earth’s atmosphere, helping us better understand the dynamics of our own planet. Results also show that the filaments are dynamically active, reminiscent of terrestrial frontogenesis and that Jovian frontogenesis acts in concert with moist convection, with the former mechanism favouring the development of cyclones and the latter the development of anticyclones. This talk highlights the broad range of interacting scales from tens to thousands of kilometres and the diverse physical mechanisms active at Jovian high latitudes.