A comparative examination of auroral acceleration processes at Jupiter and Earth as enabled by the Juno mission to Jupiter

Particle distributions observed by Juno’s Energetic Particle Detector Investigation (JEDI) at low altitudes over Jupiter’s polar regions are exceedingly diverse in directionality and in the shapes of their 3-dimensional energy distributions. Asymmetric, bi-directional angular beams with broad energy distributions are often observed near Jupiter’s main auroral oval with considerable variability as to whether upward or downward intensities are the strongest. Signatures of upward and downward magnetic field-aligned potentials, with inferred potentials up to 100’s of kV are sometimes observed, but unlike at Earth, these potentials do not seem to be associated with the strongest discrete-like auroral emission intensities. Particle distributions have similarities to those observed at Earth over the various phenomenological auroral emission regions, but they are observed in unexpected places with respect to the strongest auroral emission regions, and the jovian distributions are much more energetic. We present a comparative examination of auroral acceleration processes observed at Earth and Jupiter in relation to the respective auroral emission regions.