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Science 12 November 1993:
Vol. 262. no. 5136, pp. 1035 - 1038
DOI: 10.1126/science.262.5136.1035
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Articles

Images of Excited H3+ at the Foot of the lo Flux Tube in Jupiter's Atmosphere

J. E. P. Connerney 1, R. Baron 2, T. Satoh 2, and T. Owen 2

1 Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Green-belt, MD 20771
2 Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI.

The electrodynamic interaction between lo and the Jovian magnetosphere drives currents to and from the planet's ionosphere, where H3+ emission is excited. Direct images of this phenomenon were obtained with the ProtoCAM infrared camera at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's 3-m Infrared Telescope Facility. The emissions are localized to the instantaneous foot of the lo flux tube, ap8° equatorward of the more intense auroral H3+ emission associated with higher magnetic latitudes. The foot of the lo flux tube leads that of (undisturbed) model magnetic field lines passing through lo by 15° to 20° in longitude and is less visible in the northern hemisphere at longitudes where the surface magnetic field strength is greatest. These data favor the unipolar inductor model of the lo interaction and provide insight into the source location and generation of Jovian decameter radio emission.

Submitted on June 8, 1993
Accepted on September 13, 1993


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Jupiter's Nightside Airglow and Aurora.
G. R. Gladstone, S. A. Stern, D. C. Slater, M. Versteeg, M. W. Davis, K. D. Retherford, L. A. Young, A. J. Steffl, H. Throop, J. Wm. Parker, et al. (2007)
Science 318, 229-231
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Jupiter's Atmospheric Composition from the Cassini Thermal Infrared Spectroscopy Experiment.
V. G. Kunde, F. M. Flasar, D. E. Jennings, B. Bezard, D. F. Strobel, B. J. Conrath, C. A. Nixon, G. L. Bjoraker, P. N. Romani, R. K. Achterberg, et al. (2004)
Science 305, 1582-1586
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
ROSAT Observations of X-ray Emissions from Jupiter During the Impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.
J. H. Waite Jr., G. R. Gladstone, K. Franke, W. S. Lewis, A. C. Fabian, W. N. Brandt, C. Na, F. Haberl, J. T. Clarke, K. C. Hurley, et al. (1995)
Science 268, 1598-1601
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)