Weakening of Jupiter's main auroral emission during January 2014

Jupiter; Electron energy levels; Electrons; Magnetosphere; Aurora; Auroral emission; Auroral oval; Electron energies; Field aligned currents; Jupiters; Low latitudes; Source region; Electron temperature; Lisri

Abstract :

[en] In January 2014 Jupiter's FUV main auroral oval decreased its emitted power by 70% and shifted equatorward by ∼1°. Intense, low-latitude features were also detected. The decrease in emitted power is attributed to a decrease in auroral current density rather than electron energy. This could be caused by a decrease in the source electron density, an order of magnitude increase in the source electron thermal energy, or a combination of these. Both can be explained either by expansion of the magnetosphere or by an increase in the inward transport of hot plasma through the middle magnetosphere and its interchange with cold flux tubes moving outward. In the latter case the hot plasma could have increased the electron temperature in the source region and produced the intense, low-latitude features, while the increased cold plasma transport rate produced the shift of the main oval. © 2016. The Authors.

Research center :

LiSRI - Liège Space Research Institute - ULiège

Disciplines :

Space science, astronomy & astrophysics

Author, co-author :

Badman, S. V.; Physics Department, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom

Bonfond, Bertrand ; Université de Liège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Labo de physique atmosphérique et planétaire (LPAP)

Fujimoto, M.; Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Sagamihara, Japan

Gray, R. L.; Physics Department, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom

Kasaba, Y.; Department of Geophysics, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

Kasahara, S.; Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Sagamihara, Japan

Kimura, T.; RIKEN, Wako, Japan

Melin, H.; Department of Physics, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

Nichols, J. D.; Department of Physics, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

Steffl, A. J.; Department of Space Studies, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO, United States

More authors (6 more)

Title :

Weakening of Jupiter's main auroral emission during January 2014

Publication date :

2016

Journal title :

Geophysical Research Letters

ISSN :

0094-8276

eISSN :

1944-8007

Publisher :

American Geophysical Union

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

988-997

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Funders :

F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique [BE]

Available on ORBi :

since 09 May 2016

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