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Jupiter's Auroral Ionosphere: Juno Microwave Radiometer Observations of Energetic Electron Precipitation Events
  • +14
  • Ananyo Bhattacharya,
  • J Hunter Waite,
  • Steven M Levin,
  • Fabiano A Oyafuso,
  • Paul G Steffes,
  • Yue Lu,
  • G Randall Gladstone,
  • Joshua Kammer,
  • Tom A Nordheim,
  • Chris Paranicas,
  • Thomas Cravens,
  • James Sinclair,
  • Jiheng Hu,
  • Cheng Li,
  • Sushil K Atreya,
  • Heidi N Becker,
  • Scott J Bolton
Ananyo Bhattacharya
University of Michigan

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
J Hunter Waite
University of Alabama
Steven M Levin
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
Fabiano A Oyafuso
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
Paul G Steffes
Georgia Institute of Technology
Yue Lu
Georgia Institute of Technology
G Randall Gladstone
Southwest Research Institute
Joshua Kammer
Southwest Research Institute
Tom A Nordheim
Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University
Chris Paranicas
Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University
Thomas Cravens
University of Kansas
James Sinclair
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
Jiheng Hu
University of Michigan
Cheng Li
University of Michigan
Sushil K Atreya
University of Michigan
Heidi N Becker
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
Scott J Bolton
Southwest Research Institute

Abstract

• Electron precipitation in Jupiter's northern auroral oval can increase microwave opacity at frequencies observed by the Juno MicroWave Radiometer, appearing as cold spots in brightness temperature.
• Precipitation of 32 keV-10 MeV electrons results in ionization of the lower stratosphere below the methane homopause, producing short-lived hydrocarbon ions.
• Rapid changes in MWR antenna temperatures over consecutive spacecraft spins highlight short-time scale temporal variations in the ionospheric medium. They imply downward electron fluxes whose fluxes vary within 10 s.

Preprint timeline

12 Nov 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
14 Nov 2024Published in ESS Open Archive