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A. Baglin (DESPA), B. Mosser (IAP), JOVIS Team
JOVIS is a micro-satellite project presented to the French spatial agency (CNES), dedicated to the search of Jovian global oscillations. JOVIS considers the planet Jupiter as a mirror reflecting the solar light, but with a size modulated by the planetary deformation. This modulation will translate into flux variation. The basic principle of the project, derived from the asteroseismological space mission COROT, relies on the ability with CCD high precision photometry to detect periodic oscillation in a noisy signal. The nominal specification for the sensitivity is the detectability in 5 days of fluctuations of about 1 ppm, due to oscillation velocity of about 25~cm.s-1, with a signal to noise-ratio-better than 15.
Imaging capabilities will allow the identification of Jovian oscillation modes up to the degree \ell~q 20. It will make possible to sound with precision the whole planetary interior, including the supposed core boundary, and the plasma phase transition between molecular and metallic hydrogen. JOVIS will also provide a unique opportunity to follow over several years all varying tropospheric phenomena, with a large pixel size (about 2"), but with a quasi-continuous temporal coverage, and a very high sensitivity.