Journal article
Detection of Negative Carbon and Oxygen Pickup Ions From Dust Orbiting Jupiter
Geophysical research letters, Vol.52(18), e2025GL117406
09/28/2025
DOI: 10.1029/2025GL117406
Abstract
We report on observations of negative carbon and oxygen pickup ions (PUIs) originating from dust orbiting Jupiter. The PUIs are observed at altitudes of a few thousand kilometers (∼4,800–10,200 km) above the 1‐bar level of Jupiter's atmosphere and up to ∼11,000–15,000 km from the equatorial plane, thus providing constraints on the location of the dust population and its composition. The Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment–Electron sensors on Juno detect these PUIs because of the combination of a fast‐moving spacecraft and the large Keplerian orbital speed of the dust near Jupiter. We demonstrate that this scenario is consistent with the observations. We find a PUI C/O ratio of 10 ± 5 and a PUI energy release of ∼11 ± 9 eV. Electron stimulated desorption is a likely process for creating these PUIs. The dust is well inside the halo population and likely carbonaceous.
Plain Language Summary
Juno's highly eccentric polar orbit crosses Jupiter's equatorial plane at high speeds (nearly 60 km/s) at altitudes of a few thousand kilometers above the atmosphere. This region is populated with dust particles that can interact with the local plasma. The Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment–Electron sensor (JADE‐E) on Juno, designed to measure electrons in Jupiter's magnetosphere, detected a faint signal during several equator crossings that we attribute to carbon and oxygen ions with a negative charge. Although JADE‐E does not have mass resolution, we show that the observations are consistent with negative carbon and oxygen ions being emitted from orbiting dust and scooped up by the sensors during the high‐speed transit through the equatorial region. The location of these ions also provides an estimate of the dust location.
Key Points
JADE detected negative carbon and oxygen pickup ions (PUIs) released from dust orbiting near Jupiter
A simple model with three free parameters reproduces the observations with a PUI C/O ratio of ∼10 ± 5 and a dust orbit inclination ∼11° ± 4°
The PUI energy release of ∼11 ± 9 eV is consistent with electron stimulated desorption
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Detection of Negative Carbon and Oxygen Pickup Ions From Dust Orbiting Jupiter
- Creators
- F. Allegrini - Southwest Research InstituteJ. R. Szalay - Princeton UniversityD. J. McComas - Princeton UniversityR. W. Ebert - Southwest Research InstituteS. J. Bolton - Southwest Research InstituteG. Clark - Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics LaboratoryJ. E. P. Connerney - Goddard Space Flight CenterW. S. Kurth - University of IowaP. Louarn - Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et PlanétologieB. Mauk - Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics LaboratoryA. Pontoni - Southwest Research InstituteJ. Saur - University of CologneP. Valek - Southwest Research InstituteJ.‐Z. Wang - University of Colorado BoulderR. J. Wilson - Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Geophysical research letters, Vol.52(18), e2025GL117406
- DOI
- 10.1029/2025GL117406
- ISSN
- 0094-8276
- eISSN
- 1944-8007
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Number of pages
- 9
- Grant note
- Frontiers Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Kansas Princeton University (M99009VS) University of Colorado (699050X) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NNM06AA75C) University of Iowa (699041X) Goddard Space Flight Center (J99042CP) Applied Physics, Stanford University (699044X) Southwest Research Institute
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/28/2025
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984966340802771
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