Understanding Jupiter's Interior

Abstract

This article provides an overview of how models of giant planet interiors are constructed. We review measurements from past space missions that provide constraints for the interior structure of Jupiter. We discuss typical three-layer interior models that consist of a dense central core and an inner metallic and an outer molecular hydrogen-helium layer. These models rely heavily on experiments, analytical theory, and first-principle computer simulations of hydrogen and helium to understand their behavior up to the extreme pressures ~10 Mbar and temperatures ~10,000 K. We review the various equations of state used in Jupiter models and compare them with shock wave experiments. We discuss the possibility of helium rain, core erosion and double diffusive convection may have important consequences for the structure and evolution of giant planets. In July 2016 the Juno spacecraft entered orbit around Jupiter, promising high-precision measurements of the gravitational field that will allow us to test our understanding of gas giant interiors better than ever before.

13 pages, 11 figures in J. Geophys. Research - Planets, 2016

References in corpus (11)

• Ab initio Equation of State data for hydrogen, helium, and water and the internal structure of Jupiter
• A Massive Core in Jupiter Predicted From First-Principles Simulations
• Hydrogen-Helium Mixtures in the Interiors of Giant Planets
• Heat transport in giant (exo)planets: a new perspective
• All-Electron Path Integral Monte Carlo Simulations of Warm Dense Matter: Application to Water and Carbon Plasmas
• Phase separation in hydrogen-helium mixtures at Mbar pressures
• Layered convection as the origin of Saturn's luminosity anomaly
• First Principles Calculations of Shock Compressed Fluid Helium
• An Exploration of Double Diffusive Convection in Jupiter as a Result of Hydrogen-Helium Phase Separation
• Path Integral Monte Carlo and Density Functional Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Warm, Dense MgSiO${}_3$
• Implications of Shock Wave Experiments with Precompressed Materials for Giant Planet Interiors

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Comparing Jupiter interior structure models to Juno gravity measurements and the role of a dilute core
• Phase diagram of hydrogen and a hydrogen-helium mixture at planetary conditions by Quantum Monte Carlo simulations
• Properties of hydrogen, helium, and silicon dioxide mixtures in giant planet interiors
• A pebbles accretion model with chemistry and implications for the solar system
• Towards the same line of liquid-liquid phase transition of dense hydrogen from various theoretical predictions
• On the origin of dynamically isolated hot Earths