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Science 12 October 2007:
Vol. 318. no. 5848, pp. 217 - 220
DOI: 10.1126/science.1147393
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Reports

Diverse Plasma Populations and Structures in Jupiter's Magnetotail

D. J. McComas,1,2* F. Allegrini,1,2 F. Bagenal,3 F. Crary,1 R. W. Ebert,1,2 H. Elliott,1 A. Stern,4 P. Valek1,2

Jupiter's magnetotail is the largest cohesive structure in the solar system and marks the loss of vast numbers of heavy ions from the Jupiter system. The New Horizons spacecraft traversed the magnetotail to distances exceeding 2500 jovian radii (RJ) and revealed a remarkable diversity of plasma populations and structures throughout its length. Ions evolve from a hot plasma disk distribution at ~100 RJ to slower, persistent flows down the tail that become increasingly variable in flux and mean energy. The plasma is highly structured—exhibiting sharp breaks, smooth variations, and apparent plasmoids—and contains ions from both Io and Jupiter's ionosphere with intense bursts of H+ and H+3. Quasi-periodic changes were seen in flux at ~450 and ~1500 RJ with a 10-hour period. Other variations in flow speed at ~600 to 1000 RJ with a 3- to 4-day period may be attributable to plasmoids moving down the tail.

1 Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA.
2 Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA.
3 Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Campus Box 392, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
4 Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: dmccomas{at}swri.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
New Surprises in the Largest Magnetosphere of Our Solar System.
N. Krupp (2007)
Science 318, 216-217
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Energetic Particles in the Jovian Magnetotail.
R. L. McNutt Jr., D. K. Haggerty, M. E. Hill, S. M. Krimigis, S. Livi, G. C. Ho, R. S. Gurnee, B. H. Mauk, D. G. Mitchell, E. C. Roelof, et al. (2007)
Science 318, 220-222
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)