Water Plumes of the Icy Moons

Ocean Worlds like Europa, Enceladus, and Triton harbor a vast liquid water ocean beneath their icy crust, holding promise for discovering extraterrestrial life.

However, assessing their habitability is challenging due to the inability to directly observe these oceans or sample their surface water.

However, recent remote observations have found evidence of geyser-like (plume) eruptions of water-ice from these moons, opening a unique window into the (sub)surface processes without the need for surface landing or drilling the ice crust.

The origin of these plumes remains uncertain — whether from surface water reservoirs, ice shells, or the global subsurface oceans.

This distinction is crucial, as water from the surface or ice crust is less supportive to life than water from a liquid subsurface ocean.

Nevertheless, several space missions have found that plumes significantly alter the plasma and electromagnetic (EM) environments around these moons, leading to observable signatures that are not fully understood.

Our project aims to investigate how plumes of different origins and characteristics interact with magnetospheric plasma using a novel approach that combines, for the first time, a hybrid-kinetic plasma model with a neutral Monte Carlo model of plumes.

By comparing simulations with observations, we want to understand the role of plumes in generating EM disturbances at local and global scales, advancing our comprehension of Ocean Worlds and their potential to host life.