Understanding the 3D morphology of the Jovian aurora using Juno-UVS observations: simulations and tomographic reconstruction

The aurora at Jupiter is a spectacular signature of the many processes taking place in the Jovian magnetosphere, such as magnetic reconnection, large scale electric currents, moon-magnetosphere interactions, etc. As a consequence, this aurora is extremely complex and dynamic, powered by a variety of phenomena that we have only begun to unravel. The 3D morphology of the aurora can provide a way to untangle the different processes at play. As a polar orbiter, Juno will provide unprecedented global and close-up views of Jupiter’s auroral emissions. As it flies at low altitude over auroral curtains, spots and patches, it will provide views of these features from multiple points, allowing the retrieval of their 3D structure.

The ultraviolet spectrograph on board Juno (Juno-UVS) is designed to observe auroral emissions in the 68 to 210 nm range. It is equipped with a scan mirror targeting up to +/-30 degrees off axis of the spacecraft rotation plane. We have built a planning tool to determine which auroral targets of interest, such as a satellite footprint for example, is observable by the instrument at any time during the mission. We have also built a simulation tool that allows us to generate realistic views of the Jovian aurora as observed by Juno-UVS. The purpose of this tool is to 1) fine-tune the selection algorithm to identify the most valuable data in the harsh radiation environment encountered around Jupiter, and 2) serve as a test bed for adapting tomographic algorithms to the Juno-UVS dataset. Tomographic reconstruction will allow estimation of the position and horizontal extent of the auroral regions of interest, as well as their vertical emission structure, which may be used to characterize the energy distribution of the precipitating particles responsible for the features.