3D radar sounder simulations of geological targets on Ganymede Jovian Moon

Abstract

Subsurface investigation of the Jovian icy moons is expected to disclose interesting information on the Jovian system. The Radar for Icy Moon Exploration (RIME) is the instrument in charge of characterizing the subsurface of the three icy moons Ganymede, Europa and Callisto. To provide a key for interpretation for the real acquired data, simulations of different possible scenarios on Ganymede are presented in this work. In this paper, we present an approach to performance analysis of RIME based on the 3D modelling and electromagnetic simulations of selected icy moon targets. These simulations are carried out using the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) technique, which has been used in recent years to support radar sounder applications. In this work, we analyze in detail some interesting targets: 1) the dark terrain regolith, 2) the bright terrain dielectric profile, and 3) the grooved bright terrain. Our analysis is performed in two levels. First, the contribution of individual features is analyzed, varying their geometry and composition to understand how the measured fields vary accordingly. Second, a more realistic geological arrangement of a combination of subsurface features is considered. The results are very promising and indicate that the subsurface response is detectable in most of the cases.