Multi-zonal parametric model of the Jovian synchrotron radiation belt updated from the Juno mission observations

In Jupiter’s vicinity, Juno’s remote-sensing experiment, the Microwave Radiometer (MWR), captures thermal and non-thermal emissions from the atmosphere and magnetosphere. Furthermore, other scientific instruments on the spacecraft register the signatures of space charged particles and the planet’s magnetic field. The separation of contributions from several existing emission sources (cosmic microwave background, galactic emission, planetary thermal emission and synchrotron radiation belts) is a necessary step in the retrieval of atmospheric composition values from MWR’s low-frequency radiative observations.

The ad hoc multi-parameter, multi-zonal model of Levin et al. (2001) for synchrotron emission has been updated based on a subset of the MWR in-situ data. This model employs an empirical electron-energy distribution, which originally has been adjusted exclusively from Very Large Array (VLA) observations made prior to the Juno mission. The approaches considered and challenges confronted are discussed here. The model will be updated frequently as additional observations from the MWR and magnetometer instruments are taken into account.