EGU26-21383, updated on 14 Mar 2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-21383
EGU General Assembly 2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Poster | Tuesday, 05 May, 14:00–15:45 (CEST), Display time Tuesday, 05 May, 14:00–18:00
 
Hall X4, X4.7
Magnetic field fluctuations in Jupiter's middle magnetosphere on auroral field lines
June Piasecki1, Joachim Saur1, Jamey Szalay2, and George Clark3
June Piasecki et al.
  • 1University of Cologne, Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Cologne, Germany (jpiasec1@uni-koeln.de)
  • 2Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
  • 3The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA

Jupiter has the most powerful aurora in the solar system, which is currently studied by NASA's Juno spacecraft. Observations above Jupiter's poles have shown that electrons accelerated toward Jupiter, which contribute to auroral emissions, are frequently accompanied by electrons accelerated in the opposite direction, deep into Jupiter's large magnetosphere. These energetic, bidirectional electrons often exhibit broadband energy distributions consistent with a stochastic particle acceleration mechanism. Alfvén waves, which are observed as magnetic field fluctuations, are being discussed to play an important role in the acceleration process. These waves are belived to be generated by the discontinuous radial plasma transport from Jupiter's plasma source Io to the outer magnetosphere.  We investigate magnetic field and plasma measurements in Jupiter's middle magnetosphere, where Alfvénic fluctuations have been observed, to analyze if a correlation between magnetic field fluctuations and plasma velocity fluctuations can be observed.

How to cite: Piasecki, J., Saur, J., Szalay, J., and Clark, G.: Magnetic field fluctuations in Jupiter's middle magnetosphere on auroral field lines, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-21383, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-21383, 2026.