The composition of Europa's near-surface atmosphere

The presence of in undersurface ocean renders Europa as one of the few planetary bodies in our Solar System that has been conjectured to have possibly harbored life. Some of the organic and inorganic species present: in the ocean underneath are expected to transport upwards through the relatively thin ice crust; and manifest. themselves as impurities of the water ice surface. For this reason, together with its unique dynamic atmosphere, and geological features, Europa has attracted strong scientific interests in past; decades. Europa is imbedded inside the Jovian magnetosphere, and, therefore, is constantly subjected to the immerse surrounding radiations, similar to the other three Galilean satellites. The magnetosphere-atmosphere-surface interactions form a complex system that; provides a multitude of interesting geophysical phenomenon that is unique, in the Solar System. The atmosphere of Europa is thought to have created by, mostly, charged particles sputtering of surface materials. Consequently, the study of Europa's atmosphere can be used as a, tool to infer the surface composition. In this paper, we will discuss our recent model studies of Europa.'s near-surface atmosphere. In particular, the abundances and distributions of the dominant O-2 and H2O Species, and of other organic and inorganic minor species will be addressed.