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Energetic proton acceleration by EMIC waves in Io’s footprint tail

Authors :
G. Clark
J. R. Szalay
A. H. Sulaiman
J. Saur
P. Kollmann
B. H. Mauk
C. Paranicas
V. Hue
T. Greathouse
F. Allegrini
A. Glocer
K. Garcia-Sage
S. Bolton
Source :
Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, Vol 10 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
Frontiers Media S.A., 2023.

Abstract

In this study, we present a survey of energetic proton observations associated with Io’s footprint tail (FPT) and compare their signatures with in situ measurements of the plasma waves and lower-energy electron environments. We find further supporting evidence that proton acceleration in Io’s FPT is likely a consequence of wave–particle interactions via electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves that are generated by precipitating electrons into Jupiter’s ionosphere. This idea was originally proposed by Clark et al. (2020) and Sulaiman et al. (2020) based on NASA’s Juno mission likely transiting Io’s Main Alfvén Wing (MAW) during its twelfth orbit (i.e., PJ12). Additionally, the analysis of > 50 keV protons presented here highlights important observational details about the Io–Jupiter interaction as follows: 1) proton acceleration in Io’s FPT is a persistent feature and the energy flux carried by the protons is highest at smaller Io-Alfvén tail distances; 2) energetic protons exhibit positive correlations with both plasma waves and

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2296987X
Volume :
10
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.59fc403faa0e4f869f820a0e85f14a15
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3389/fspas.2023.1016345