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Dayside Magnetodisk Reconnection in Jovian System: Galileo and Voyager Observation
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  • Jinyan Zhao,
  • Ruilong Guo,
  • Quanqi Shi,
  • Tao Tang,
  • Alexander William Degeling,
  • Zhonghua Yao,
  • Denis Grodent,
  • Shichen Bai,
  • Jong-Sun Park,
  • Xiao Ma,
  • Junjie Chen,
  • Binzheng Zhang,
  • Huizi Wang,
  • Anmin Tian,
  • Qiu-Gang Zong
Jinyan Zhao
Shandong University, Weihai
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Ruilong Guo
Shandong University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Quanqi Shi
Shandong University, Weihai
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Tao Tang
Shandong University
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Alexander William Degeling
Shandong University
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Zhonghua Yao
The University of Hong Kong
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Denis Grodent
Université de Liège
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Shichen Bai
Shandong University at Weihai
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Jong-Sun Park
Shandong University
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Xiao Ma
Shandong University, Weihai
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Junjie Chen
The University of Hong Kong
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Binzheng Zhang
The University of Hong Kong
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Huizi Wang
Institute for Space Sciences, Shandong University at Weihai
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Anmin Tian
Shandong University
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Qiu-Gang Zong
Peking University
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Abstract

Magnetic reconnection, an essential mechanism in plasma physics that changes magnetic topology and energizes charged particles, plays a vital role in the dynamic processes of the Jovian magnetosphere. The traditional Vasyliūnas cycle only considers the effect of magnetic reconnection at the nightside magnetodisk. Recently, magnetic reconnection has been identified at the dayside magnetodisk in Saturn's magnetosphere and can impact dayside auroral processes. In this study, we provide the first evidence that the dayside magnetodisk reconnection can also occur at Jupiter. Using data from the Galileo and Voyager 2 spacecraft, we have identified 18 dayside reconnection events with radial distances in the range of 30–60 Jupiter radii (RJ). We analyzed the particle (electron and ion) flux, energy spectra, and characteristic energy of these dayside events and compared them to the nightside events. The statistical results show that the energy spectra and characteristic energy of electrons/ions in dayside and nightside magnetic reconnection events are comparable. On average, the characteristic energy of ions on the dayside is higher than that on the nightside. Based on the limited data set, we speculate that the occurrence rate of dayside magnetodisk reconnection should be significant. The dayside Jovian magnetodisk reconnection seems to have a comparable effect on providing energetic particles as that at nightside and to be one of the key processes driving dynamics within the Jovian magnetosphere.
17 Jul 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
22 Jul 2024Published in ESS Open Archive
Jul 2024Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets volume 129 issue 7. 10.1029/2023JE008240