A document by Brieuc Collet. Click on the document to view its contents.

A document by Ali H. Sulaiman. Click on the document to view its contents.

At Jupiter, part of the auroral radio emissions are induced by the Galilean moons Io, Europa and Ganymede. Until now, except for Ganymede, they have been only remotely detected, using ground-based radio-telescopes or electric antennas aboard spacecraft. The polar trajectory of the Juno orbiter allows the spacecraft to cross the range of magnetic flux tubes which sustain the various Jupiter-satellite interactions, and in turn to sample in situ the associated radio emission regions. In this study, we focus on the detection and the characterization of radio sources associated with Io, Europa and Ganymede. Using electric wave measurements or radio observations (Juno/Waves), in situ electron measurements (Juno/JADE-E), and magnetic field measurements (Juno/MAG) we demonstrate that the Cyclotron Maser Instability (CMI) driven by a loss-cone electron distribution function is responsible for the encountered radio sources. We confirmed that radio emissions are associated with Main (MAW) or Reflected Alfvén Wing (RAW), but also show that for Europa and Ganymede, induced radio emissions are associated with Transhemispheric Electron Beam (TEB). For each traversed radio source, we determine the latitudinal extension, the CMI-resonant electron energy, and the bandwidth of the emission. We show that the presence of Alfvén perturbations and downward field aligned currents are necessary for the radio emissions to be amplified.

A document by William S Kurth. Click on the document to view its contents.

We define the spatial clustering of X-rays within Jupiter’s northern auroral regions by classifying their distributions into ‘X-ray auroral structures’. Using data from Chandra during Juno’s main mission observations (24 May 2016 – 8 September 2019), we define five X-ray structures based on their ionospheric location and calculate the distribution of auroral photons. The morphology and ionospheric location of these structures allow us to explore the possibility of numerous X-ray auroral magnetospheric drivers. We compare these distributions to Hubble Space Telescope (HST)and Juno (Waves and MAG) data, and a 1D solar wind propagation model to infer the state of Jupiter’s magnetosphere. Our results suggest that the five sub-classes of ‘X-ray structures’ fall under two broad morphologies: fully polar and low latitude emissions. Visibility modelling of each structure suggests the non-uniformity of the photon distributions across the Chandra intervals are likely associated with the switching on/off of magnetospheric drivers as opposed to geometrical effects. The combination of ultraviolet (UV) and X-ray morphological structures is a powerful tool to elucidate the behaviour of both electrons and ions and their link to solar wind/magnetospheric conditions in the absence of an upstream solar monitor.

The Juno Waves instrument measured plasma waves associated with Ganymede’s magnetosphere during its flyby on 7 June, day 158, 2021. Three distinct regions were identified including a wake, and nightside and dayside regions in the magnetosphere distinguished by their electron densities and associated variability. The magnetosphere includes electron cyclotron harmonic emissions including a band at the upper hybrid frequency, as well as whistler-mode chorus and hiss. These waves likely interact with energetic electrons in Ganymede’s magnetosphere by pitch angle scattering and/or accelerating the electrons. The wake is accentuated by low-frequency turbulence and electrostatic solitary waves. Radio emissions observed before and after the flyby likely have their source in Ganymede’s magnetosphere.

We present multi-instrument Juno observations on day-of-year 86, 2017 that link particles and fields in Jupiter’s polar magnetosphere to transient UV emissions in Jupiter’s northern auroral region known as dawn storms. Juno ranged from 42ºN - 51ºN in magnetic latitude and 5.8 – 7.8 jovian radii (1 RJ = 71,492 km) during this period. These dawn storm emissions consisted of two separate, elongated structures which extended into the nightside, rotated with the planet, had enhanced brightness (up to at least 1.4 megaRayleigh) and high color ratios. The color ratio is a proxy for the atmospheric penetration depth and therefore the energy of the electrons that produce the UV emissions. Juno observed electrons and ions on magnetic field lines mapping to these emissions. The electrons were primarily field-aligned, bi-directional, and, at times, exhibited sudden intensity decreases below ~10 keV coincident with intensity enhancements up to energies of ~1000 keV, consistent with the high color ratio observations. The more energetic electron distributions had characteristic energies of ~160 – 280 keV and downward energy fluxes (~70 – 135 mW/m2) that were a significant fraction needed to produce the UV emissions for this event. Magnetic field perturbations up to ~0.7% of the local magnetic field showing evidence of upward and downward field-aligned currents, whistler mode waves, and broadband kilometric radio emissions were also observed along Juno’s trajectory during this timeframe. These high latitude observations show similarities to those in the equatorial magnetosphere associated with dynamics processes such as interchange events, plasma injections, and/or tail reconnection.

On June 7th, 2021 the Juno spacecraft visited Ganymede and provided the first in situ observations since Galileo’s last flyby in 2000. The measurements obtained along a one-dimensional trajectory can be brought into global context with the help of three-dimensional magnetospheric models. Here we apply the magnetohydrodynamic model of Duling et al. (2014) to conditions during the Juno flyby. In addition to the global distribution of plasma variables we provide mapping of Juno’s position along magnetic field lines, Juno’s distance from closed field lines and detailed information about the magnetic field’s topology. We find that Juno did not enter the closed field line region and that the boundary between open and closed field lines on the surface matches the poleward edges of the observed auroral ovals. To estimate the sensitivity of the model results, we carry out a parameter study with different upstream plasma conditions and other model parameters.

Dawn storms are among the brightest events in the Jovian aurorae. Up to now, they had only been observed from Earth-based observatories, only showing the Sun-facing side of the planet. Here we show for the first time global views of the phenomenon, from its initiation to its end and from the nightside of the aurora onto the dayside. Based on Juno's first 20 orbits, some patterns now emerge. Small short-lived spots are often seen for a couple of hours before the main emission starts to brighten and evolve from a straight arc to a more irregular one in the midnight sector. As the whole feature rotates dawn-ward, the arc then separates into two arcs with a central initially void region that is progressively filled with emissions. A gap in longitude then often forms before the whole feature dims. Finally, it transforms into an equatorward-moving patch of auroral emissions associated with plasma injection signatures. Some dawn storms remain weak and never fully develop. We also found cases of successive dawn storms within a few hours. Dawn storm thus share many fundamental features with the auroral signatures of the substorms at Earth. These findings demonstrate that, whatever their sources, mass and energy do not always circulate smoothly in planetary magnetospheres. Instead they often accumulate until the magnetospheres reconfigure and generate substorm-like responses in the planetary aurorae, although the temporal and spatial scales are different for different planets.

Juno’s arrival at Jupiter in 2016 revealed unprecedented details about Jupiter’s ultraviolet aurorae thanks to its unique suite of remote sensing and in situ instruments. Here we present results from in situ observations during Juno flybys above specific bright auroral spots in Jupiter’s polar aurora. We compare data observed by Juno-UVS, JEDI, JADE, Waves, and MAG instruments when Juno was magnetically connected to bright polar auroral spots during perijove 3 (PJ3), PJ15, and PJ33. The highly energetic particles observed by JEDI show enhancements dominated by upward electrons, which suggests that the particle acceleration region takes place below the spacecraft. Moreover, both brightness and upward particle flux were higher for the northern bright spot in PJ3 compared to the southern spots found in PJ15 and PJ33. In addition, we notice the intensification of whistler-mode waves at the time of the particle enhancements, suggesting that wave-particle interactions contribute to the acceleration of particles which cause the UV aurorae. The MAG data reveal magnetic perturbations during the PJ3 spot detection by Juno, which suggests the presence of significant field-aligned electric currents. While the stable position of the bright spots in System III suggests that the phenomenon is fixed with respect to the rotation of the planet, the presence of field-aligned currents leaves open the possibility of an origin rooted much farther in the magnetosphere.

We expand on previous observations of magnetic reconnection in Jupiter’s magnetosphere by constructing a survey of ion-inertial scale plasmoids in the Jovian magnetotail. We developed an automated detection algorithm to identify reversals in the component and performed the minimum variance analysis for each identified plasmoid to characterize its helical structure. The magnetic field observations were complemented by data collected by the Juno Waves instrument, which is used to estimate the total electron density, and the JEDI energetic particle detectors. We identified 87 plasmoids with ‘peak-to-peak’ durations between 10 s and 300 s. 31 plasmoids possessed a core field and were classified as flux-ropes. The other 56 plasmoids had minimum field strength at their centers and were termed O-lines. Out of the 87 plasmoids, 58 had in situ signatures shorter than 60 s, despite the algorithm’s upper limit to be 300 s, suggesting that smaller plasmoids with shorter durations were more likely to be detected by Juno. We estimate the diameter of these plasmoids assuming a circular cross-section and a travel speed equal to the Alfven speed in the surrounding lobes. Using the electron density inferred by Waves, we contend that these plasmoid diameters were within an order of the local ion-inertial length. Our results demonstrate that magnetic reconnection in the Jovian magnetotail occurs at ion scales like in other space environments. We show that ion-scale plasmoids would need to be released every 0.1 s or less to match the canonical 1 ton/s rate of plasma production due to Io.

At Jupiter, part of the auroral radio emissions are induced by the Galilean moons Io, Europa and Ganymede. Until now, they have been remotely detected, using ground-based radio-telescopes or electric antennas aboard spacecraft. The polar trajectory of the Juno orbiter allows the spacecraft to cross the magnetic flux tubes connected to these moons, or their tail, and gives a direct measure of the characteristics of these decametric moon–induced radio emissions. In this study, we focus on the detection of a radio emission during the crossing of the Ganymede flux tube. Using electromagnetic waves (Juno/Waves) and in-situ electron measurements (Juno/JADE-E), we estimate the flux tube width to be a few 100 km, a growth rate of the radio emission >3x10-4, an electron population of energy E=4-15 keV and an emission beaming angle of θ=76°-83°, at a frequency 1.005-1.021xfce. We also confirmed that radio emission is associated with Ganymede’s down-tail far-ultraviolet emission.