Diverse Electron and Ion Acceleration Characteristics Observed Over Jupiter's Main Aurora
Abstract
Two new Juno-observed particle features of Jupiter's main aurora demonstrate substantial diversity of processes generating Jupiter's mysterious auroral emissions. It was previously speculated that sometimes-observed potential-driven aurora (up to 400 kV) can turn into broadband stochastic acceleration (dominating at Jupiter) by means of instability. Here direct evidence for such a process is revealed with a "mono-energetic" electron inverted-V rising in energy to 200 keV, transforming into a region of broadband acceleration with downward energy fluxes tripling to 3,000 mW/m2, and then transforming back into a mono-energetic structure ramping down from 200 keV. But a second feature of interest observed nearby is unlikely to have operated in the same way. Here a downward accelerated proton inverted-V, with inferred potentials to 300-400 kV, occurred simultaneously with downward accelerated broadband electrons with downward energy fluxes as high as any observed ( 3,000 mW/m2). This latter feature has no known precedent with Earth auroral observations.
- Publication:
-
Geophysical Research Letters
- Pub Date:
- February 2018
- DOI:
- 10.1002/2017GL076901
- Bibcode:
- 2018GeoRL..45.1277M
- Keywords:
-
- Jupiter;
- aurora;
- Juno;
- energetic particles;
- magnetosphere