Journal article
Voyager observations of Jupiter's distant magnetotail
Journal of geophysical research. Space physics, Vol.86(A10), pp.8402-8412
09/30/1981
DOI: 10.1029/JA086iA10p08402
Abstract
Observations of nonthermal continuum radiation by Voyager-1 and -2 at large distances from Jupiter have led to the identification of brief encounters with the Jupiter-magnetosphere at distances >700 R sub(J) and in directions substantially far from the Jupiter-Sun line. In addition, a number of examples of continuum radiation apparently trapped in local density depressions in the solar wind are observed. Simultaneous measurements by the Voyager plasma instrument have verified the distant magnetotail crossings and are used to correlate the occurrence of trapped continuum radiation events within solar wind density rarefactions. The Voyager observations of the distant Jupiter magnetotail are compared with observations in the distant terrestrial magnetosphere and, also, with observations of the plasma tails of comets. Viable explanations of the observations are that the Jupiter tail consists of filamentary structures, some of which extend to large distances in the predawn direction, or that the Jupiter tail may be offset in the dawn direction by a combination of corotation angular momentum and forces associated with high-speed streams in the solar wind. The observations of continuum radiation trapped in low-density regions of the solar wind suggest that Voyager may at times be connected to the distant tail by a low-density trough that acts as a waveguide and permits radiation from the tail to reach the spacecraft. This may provide an indirect method of detecting the tail extending more than 2 AU downstream from Jupiter.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Voyager observations of Jupiter's distant magnetotail
- Creators
- W Kurth - University of Iowa, Physics and AstronomyDonald A Gurnett - University of Iowa, Physics and AstronomyFrederick L. Scarf - University of California, Los AngelesR Poynter - Jet Propulsion LaboratoryJ. D. Sullivan
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of geophysical research. Space physics, Vol.86(A10), pp.8402-8412
- DOI
- 10.1029/JA086iA10p08402
- ISSN
- 0148-0227
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/30/1981
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984454339802771
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