Io

What common misconceptions are there about Io and Jupiter's magnetosphere?

Some things are seen more simply than they probably are. For example, some studies claim that there are 'volcanically active' and 'volcanically quiet' periods on the moon Io. There is, however, no measure that can be applied to define and distinguish such periods. Volcanoes are everywhere and seem to mostly unsystematically and independently change activity. Another simplification is that a change in volcanic activity (which—as mentioned before—can not even be properly defined) can directly trigger significant changes in the environment of Io.

Upon review, what contradictions and inconsistencies did you identify?

We found that it is unlikely that a change in activity in one place on Io can affect the environment of the moon. If it is volcanic activity that triggers changes in the environment, it needs to be some special, fortunate event or combination of events happening. What this could be remains unknown though.

What gaps remain in our understanding?

Most importantly, we would want to know how exactly most material escapes Io's gravity to fill the environment of the moon. What is the composition of the escaping material? Is it molecules or atoms (after the dissociation of molecules)? How does it gain the energy to escape Io? Knowing what escapes and how exactly it happens wold help a lot.

Measuring the material while it escapes from Io remotely with telescopes is very difficult. And there will be no spacecraft near Io in the next decade (the NASA and ESA moon missions never come close to Io). Observationally, measuring a transient change in the bound atmosphere would be a new achievement that could help understand the processes of material leaving Io and the atmosphere to fill the environment. Otherwise, progress can some from new theoretical models that may consider something we have not thought of so far.