Formation of Na-containing molecular ions at Io

Abstract

Fast sodium atoms, which appear to be associated with the motion of the magnetic 'field lines' downstream from Io (Schneider et al. 1991), are thought to be produced by dissociation of NaX(+) in Io's plasma torus. It was suggested that these molecular ions are formed near Io's exobase by electron-impact ionization and picked up be the corotating filed lines (Wilson and Schneider 1994). Because electron cooling processes dominate electron-impact ionization in Io's corona, two reactions are suggested here as sources of NaX(+) and, hence, as the ultimate sources of the observed fast Na. First, the charge-exchange cross sections for forming NaX(+) are shown to be large for plasma torus ions (O(+), S(+), O(2+), S(3+)) colliding with NaX molecules in Io's corona. Sputtering from the surface (Chrisey et al. 1988) and rapid transport to the exobase is a potential source of NaX, where X is O,S, Na, or a molecular species such as NaS or O2. Second ions of the more abundant molecules (e.g., SO(+), SO2(+), O2(+), and S2(+)) can react efficiently with atomic Na in Io's corona to form NaX(+). Here cross sections are estimated for these two processes, as well as for charge exchange in O(+) and S(+) on Na collisions.