Recent observations from Juno provided a detailed view of Jupiter’s magnetodisk, including its magnetic fields, waves, plasmas and energetic particles. Here, we contribute to Juno results by determining the electric currents threading the magnetodisk and their coupling to field-aligned currents (FAC) in the midnight-to-dawn local time sector. We first derive from Juno magnetic field data the spatial distributions of the height-integrated radial (Ir) and azimuthal (Ia) currents in the magnetodisk, and then calculate the FACs from the divergence of the two current components. The Ir-associated FAC, Jr, flows into and out of the magnetodisk at small and large radial distances, respectively, approximately consistent with the axisymmetric corotation enforcement model. On the other hand, Ia decreases with increasing local time everywhere in the local time sector covered, indicating an additional FAC (Ja) flowing out of the magnetodisk. From Ia and Ja, we conclude that the influence of the solar wind, which compresses the dayside magnetosphere and thus breaks the axisymmetry of currents and fields, reaches deep to a radial distance of at least 20 Jupiter radii. Our results provide observational constraints on Jupiter’s magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere coupling current systems, on their relation to the main auroral emission and on the radial mass transport rate in the magnetodisk, which we estimate to be close to ~1500 kg/s.

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.

The 1-Hz whistler wave precursor attached to shock-like structures are often observed in foreshock. Using observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, we investigate the interactions between 1-Hz waves and ions. Incoming solar wind ions do not gyro-resonate with the wave, since typically the wave is right-handed in their frame. We demonstrate that solar wind ions commonly exhibit 180 gyro-phase bunching from the wave magnetic field, understanding it with a reconciled linear picture for non-resonant ions and non-linear trapping theory of anomalous resonance. Along the longitudinal direction, solar wind ions experience Landau resonance, exhibiting either modulations at small wave potentials or trapping in phase-space holes at large potentials. The results also improve our understanding of foreshock structure evolution and 1-Hz wave excitation. Shock-like structures start with having incoming solar wind and remotely-reflected ions from further downstream. The ion-scale 1-Hz waves can already appear during this stage. The excitation may be due to shock-like dispersive radiation or kinetic instabilities resonant with these remotely-reflected ions. Ions reflected by local shock-like structures occur later, so they are not always necessary for generating 1-Hz waves. The wave leads to ion reflection further upstream, which may cause reformation. In one event, locally-reflected ions exhibit anomalous resonance in the early stage, and later approach to the gyro-resonant condition with gyro-phases ~270 . The latter is possibly due to nonlinear trapping in regions with an upstream-pointing magnetic field gradient, linked to reformation. Some additional special features like frequency dispersions are observed, requiring better explanations in the future.

We investigate electrostatic waves in a magnetopause reconnection diffusion region event. In the electron diffusion region on the magnetospheric side, an oblique electrostatic wave is observed. The local distribution exhibits fast non-gyrotropic electron beams with drifts comparable to the electron thermal speed, but the wave has a much lower phase speed. Response of ions and possible cold electrons may contribute to wave excitation. Near the current sheet mid-plane, parallel electron beam-mode waves are modulated by whistler waves. In the separatrix region, parallel waves associated with field-aligned electron beams and perpendicular electron cyclotron waves with loss cone distributions exhibit modulation frequencies in the lower-hybrid wave frequency range. We infer that lower-hybrid waves scatter electrons to produce beams and alter loss cones to modulate electrostatic waves. The results advance our understanding about the regimes and mechanisms of electrostatic waves in reconnection and their coupling with lower-frequency waves.

By using the magnetic field data from of Van Allen Probes, we analyzed the distribution characteristics of the electromagnetic environment in the inner magnetosphere on different Dst* index and magnetic local time (MLT). Our results show that for the response of different current systems, the dawn-dusk and noon-midnight asymmetry distribution of the residual magnetic field δB increases with Dst* index. When Dst* < -60 nT, a ‘banana’-shaped geomagnetic field negative disturbance peak region appears in the sector from midnight to dusk. Then, we obtained the azimuthal current density and found the asymmetric internal eastward and external westward ring current. Through the vector analysis of three-dimensional current density, the current density vector distribution in the magnetic equatorial plane (MEP) is completely displayed for the first time, which directly proves the existence of banana current near r = 3.0 - 4.0 RE during strong geomagnetic storms.

The terrestrial magnetosphere is perpetually exposed to, and significantly deformed by the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) in the solar wind. This deformation is typically detected at discrete locations by space- and ground-based observations. Earth’s aurora, on the other hand, is a globally distributed phenomenon that may be used to elucidate magnetospheric deformations caused by IMF variations, as well as plasma supply from the deformed magnetotail to the high-latitude atmosphere. We report the utilization of an auroral form known as the transpolar arc (TPA) to diagnose the plasma dynamics of the globally deformed magnetosphere. Nine TPAs examined in this study have two types of a newly identified morphology, which are designated as “J”- and “L”-shaped TPAs from their shapes, and are shown to have antisymmetric morphologies in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, depending on the IMF polarity. The TPA-associated ionospheric current profiles suggest that electric currents flowing along the magnetic field lines (Field-Aligned Currents: FACs), connecting the magnetotail and the ionosphere, may be related to the “J”- and “L”-shaped TPA formations. The FACs can be generated by velocity shear between fast plasma flows associated with nightside magnetic reconnection and slower background magnetotail plasma flows. Complex large-scale TPA FAC structures, previously unravelled by an Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation, cannot be elucidated by our observations. However, our interpretation of TPA features in a global context facilitates the usage of TPA as a diagnostic tool to effectively remote-sense globally deformed terrestrial and planetary magnetospheric processes in response to the IMF and solar wind plasma conditions.

Based on a large database of Wideband Imaging Camera (WIC), which is a part of Far Ultraviolet (FUV) instrument, onboard the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) satellite during 5 years between 2000 and 2005, we found a new morphological type of transpolar arcs (TPAs), which are identified as “nightside distorted TPAs”. The nightside ends of the dawnside (duskside) TPAs got distorted toward pre- (post-) midnight sector; These TPAs look like the shape of an alphabetical letter of “J” or “L”. We identified 17 nightside distorted TPAs from our database. The 12 events out of 17 nightside distorted TPA events were the dawnside TPA with the nightside end distorted toward the pre-midnight sector (“J”-shaped TPA), and the TPAs in the duskside, whose nightside parts got distorted toward the post-midnight sector, were found in the remnant 5 events (“L”-shaped TPA). Statistically, the nightside distorted TPAs can dominantly be found under the northward Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) conditions. Furthermore, when the IMF-By component pointed to the dawnward (duskward) direction, the “J” (“L”)-shaped TPAs were dominantly observed, suggesting that the relation between the IMF-Bz and By orientations, and the locations of the nightside distorted TPAs is consistent with that between the IMF conditions and regular TPA previously reported. We also followed the time sequence of the nightside distorted TPA evolution with the IMAGE FUV-WIC imager and additional Polar UVI data. In most cases, the “J” and “L”-shaped TPAs started to grow from the nightside main auroral oval, and protruded to the dayside region with being distorted. In this presentation, we will introduce several selected cases of the nightside distorted TPA among our database, and discuss why and how the nightside end of the TPA became distorted toward pre- or post-midnight sectors based on the in-situ satellite nightside plasma sheet observations and the electron drift velocity distribution calculated utilizing a simple electromagnetic field model in magnetotail, together with the auroral imager data.

Since we discovered the newly morphological transpolar arc (TPA), whose nightside end got distorted toward pre- or post-midnight, identified as “nightside distorted TPAs”, their fundamental characteristics have been revealed based on investigations of the space-borne auroral imager data and corresponding solar wind conditions. Nightside distorted TPAs had two types; “J”- and “L”-shaped TPAs, and their locations of appearance (dawn or duskside of the polar cap) were governed by the polarity of the By component of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF). Furthermore, we found that the nightside distorted TPAs have antisymmetric morphologies in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, also depending on the IMF-By orientation. In this presentation, we show that that the electric currents flowing aligned to the magnetic field lines which connect between the magnetotail and the ionosphere, that is, Field-aligned currents (FACs) play an essential role in the formations of the “J”- and “L”-shaped TPAs. They are induced by significant plasma flow velocity difference (plasma flow shear) between the fast plasma flows associated with nightside magnetic reconnection and slower background plasma flows in the magnetotail. The current vortex structures with the counterclockwise rotation are also clearly seen in the ionospheric current vectors derived from fluctuations of the geomagnetic field measured at the ground observatories beneath and in close proximity of the growth regions of the nightside distorted TPA. This result suggests that the FACs were flowing out of the ionosphere toward the magnetotail (upward FACs) near the TPA. Furthermore, based on the geomagnetic field variations and the SuperDARN HF radar data, we obtained evidence in which the locations of magnetotail magnetic reconnection, which persisted even during northward IMF-Bz intervals, that is, the TPA durations, retreated further down tail as the TPA grew to the dayside. Taking into account these observational results, we finally show a model to illustrate the nightside distorted TPA (particularly, “L”-shaped TPA) formation.