Evidence of Magnetic Reconnection in Ganymede's Wake Region from Juno
- Jayasri Joseph,
- William S Kurth,
- Ali H. Sulaiman,
- John E. P. Connerney,
- Frederic Allegrini,
- Stefan Duling,
- George Clark,
- Jeremy B. Faden,
- C.W. Piker,
- Allison N Jaynes,
- Barry H. Mauk,
- Scott J Bolton
George Clark
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Author ProfileAbstract
Magnetic reconnection has been commonly reported between the solar wind
IMF and the magnetic field of Earth and other planets. This article is
the first report of a reconnection event in the tail region of Ganymede,
the only known moon with an intrinsic magnetic field. We show strong
evidence of Juno passing very close to an X-line at Ganymede's tail. We
report the observation of distinctive electron Bernstein mode waves with
unique characteristics particular to a reconnection site. We detect a
clear reversal of a magnetic field component. Electron densities and
pitch angle distributions also support the findings. Finally, from the
time sequence of the observations by the different instruments on Juno,
we reconstruct a likely trajectory of Juno around the reconnection site.14 Aug 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive 19 Aug 2024Published in ESS Open Archive