We take the plasma parameters derived by Bagenal et al. (2017) from Voyager plasma science data in the Jovian magnetosphere and examine the radial profiles of density, temperature, composition, and azimuthal flow. The plasma sheet shows a relatively uniform structure of decreasing electron density (Ne) and increasing temperature out to about 20 RJ, but beyond about 15 RJ there is increasing disorder with sporadic blobs of cold plasma. These small (~0.5 RJ) blobs of cold (~20 eV) plasma make a minor contribution to the net outward flux of iogenic plasma. The ion composition in the cold blobs is consistent with the ion abundances derived from physical chemistry models extending from 6 to ~9 RJ, whereupon the collisional reactions slow down and radial transport speeds up, effectively freezing in the ion composition to the following abundances: O+/Ne = 15–22%, S++/Ne = 10–19%, O++/Ne = 4–8%, S+++/Ne = 4–6%, and S+/Ne = 1–5%. Beyond about 7 RJ the component of hot (suprathermal, approximately hundreds of eV) ions becomes a significant fraction of the total density. The radial profile of the plasma's azimuthal flow speed shows that corotation begins to breakdown at about 9 RJ, dipping down to about 20% below corotation before increasing back up to corotation briefly (~17–20 RJ), reaching an asymptotic value of about 225 km/s (corresponding to rigid corotation at ~18 RJ). We present a 2‐D model of the plasma sheet beyond 6 RJ based on simple functions for the equatorial profiles of plasma properties and steady state diffusive equilibrium along magnetic flux tubes. Cold plasma blobs in the Jovian plasma sheet show ion composition consistent with physical chemistry models. Azimuthal flow speeds dip below corotation 9–15 Jovian radii. Radial profiles of plasma properties are combined to make a 2‐D model of plasma sheet.

The Voyagers 1 and 2 spacecraft flew by Jupiter in March and July of 1979, respectively. The Plasma Science instrument (PLS) acquired detailed measurements of the plasma environment in the equatorial region of the magnetosphere between 4.9 and 4 RJ. While bulk plasma properties such as charge density, ion temperature, and bulk flow were reasonably well determined, the ion composition was only well constrained in occasional regions of cold plasma. The ion data obtained by the PLS instrument have been reanalyzed using physical chemistry models to constrain the composition and reduce the number of free parameters, particularly in regions of hotter plasma. This paper describes the method used for fitting the plasma data and presents the results versus time. Two companion papers describe the composition of heavy ions and present analysis of protons plus other minor ions.

When the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft flew through the Jovian system in March and July 1979, the Plasma Science instruments measured ions and electrons in the Io plasma torus and plasma sheet between 4.9 and 42 RJ. The dominant ions in the Jovian magnetosphere comprise the first few ionization states of atomic sulfur and oxygen. We present here an analysis of minor ion species H+, Na+, and SO2+. Protons are 1–20% of the plasma between 5 and 30 RJ with variable temperatures ranging by a factor of 10 warmer or colder than the heavy ions. We suggest that these protons, measured deep inside the magnetosphere, are consistent with a source from the ionosphere of ~1.5–7.5 × 1027 protons s−1 (2.5–13 kg/s). Na+ ions are detected between 5 and 40 RJ at an abundance of 1 to 10%, produced by the ionization of the extended neutral cloud emanating from Io that has been observed since 1974. SO2+ ions are detected between 5.31 and 5.07 RJ at an abundance of 0.1–0.6%. These ions clearly come from the plasma interaction with Io's atmosphere, but the exact processes whereby atmospheric molecules escape Io and end up as ions well inside Io's orbit are not clear.