Jupiter's Double‐Arc Aurora as a Signature of Magnetic Reconnection: Simultaneous Observations From HST and Juno

Guo, Ruilong; Yao, Zhonghua; Grodent, Denis; Bonfond, Bertrand; Clark, G.; Dunn, W. R.; Palmaerts, Benjamin; Mauk, B. H.; Vogt, Marissa F.; Shi, Quanqi; Wei, Yuanhuan; Connerney, J. E. P.; Bolton, S. J.

doi:10.1029/2021gl093964

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…In the rotating magnetosphere, the energized particles highly likely from the rotating reconnection region can lead to rotating multiple field‐aligned current systems and rotating aurorae at Saturn (Guo, Yao, Dunn, et al, 2021). The magnetic reconnection has been observed to relate to auroral enhancements in the Jovian ionosphere at the dawn sector (Guo, Yao, Grodent, et al, 2021). The rotating dayside magnetodisk reconnection sites, especially the long‐duration events, can be closely related to dayside auroral emissions.…”

Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To identify whether the spacecraft crosses the magnetic diffusion region, Figures 1d and 1e describe the magnetic vector in the X‐line coordinates. The X‐line coordinate system is a current sheet coordinate system that removes the bend‐back effect (Arridge et al., 2016), which has been successfully applied to Saturn (Arridge et al., 2016; Guo, Yao, Sergis, et al, 2018, Guo, Yao, Wei, et al, 2018) and Jupiter's magnetodisk (Guo, Yao, Dunn, et al, 2021; Guo, Yao, Grodent, et al, 2021). In the X‐line coordinate system, during the crossing of a magnetic reconnection diffusion region by a spacecraft, when the recorded B x is positive, the Hall magnetic component B y and the normal component B z have the same polarity (both positive or negative), and when B x is negative, B y and B z have opposite polarity (if one is positive then the other is negative).…”

Section: Dayside Magnetodisk Reconnection Event Identified At Jupitermentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dayside Magnetodisk Reconnection in Jovian System: Galileo and Voyager Observation

Zhao,

Guo,

Shi

et al. 2024

JGR Planets

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Magnetic reconnection, an essential mechanism in plasma physics that changes magnetic topology and energizes charged particles, plays a vital role in the dynamic processes of the Jovian magnetosphere. The traditional Vasyliūnas cycle only considers the effect of magnetic reconnection at the nightside magnetodisk. Recently, magnetic reconnection has been identified at the dayside magnetodisk in Saturn's magnetosphere and can impact dayside auroral processes. In this study, we provide the first evidence that the dayside magnetodisk reconnection can also occur at Jupiter. Using data from the Galileo and Voyager 2 spacecraft, we have identified 18 dayside reconnection events with radial distances in the range of 30–60 Jupiter radii (RJ). We analyzed the particle (electron and ion) flux, energy spectra, and characteristic energy of these dayside events and compared them to the nightside events. The statistical results show that the energy spectra and characteristic energy of electrons/ions in dayside and nightside magnetic reconnection events are comparable. On average, the characteristic energy of ions on the dayside is higher than that on the nightside. Based on the limited data set, we speculate that the occurrence rate of dayside magnetodisk reconnection should be significant. The dayside Jovian magnetodisk reconnection seems to have a comparable effect on providing energetic particles as that at nightside and to be one of the key processes driving dynamics within the Jovian magnetosphere.

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Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Dayside Magnetodisk Reconnection Event Identified At Jupitermentioning

confidence: 99%

Dayside Magnetodisk Reconnection in Jovian System: Galileo and Voyager Observation

Zhao,

Guo,

Shi

et al. 2024

JGR Planets

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“…In contrast to Earth, where the magnetospheric dynamics are primarily determined by magnetic reconnection between the SW/interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and planetary magnetic field, the dynamics in the Jovian magnetosphere, including its magnetotail region, are mostly driven by planetary rotation due to the large Jovian corotation potential (Khurana et al 2004;McComas & Bagenal 2007 and also affected by the viscous-like SW interaction (Delamere & Bagenal 2010;Masters 2018), although there is some debate about the importance of SW reconnection in the Jovian magnetosphere (Cowley et al 2003(Cowley et al , 2008. The unique dynamics of Jovian magnetotail reconnection can exacerbate the loss of the internal plasma, particularly from the Io torus to the far magnetotail (Kurth et al 1982;Khurana et al 2004;Thomas et al 2004), and may induce distinctive aurora morphology (Waite et al 1994(Waite et al , 2001Ajello et al 1998;Mauk et al 2002;Szego et al 2016;Connerney et al 2017;Gladstone et al 2017;Gérard et al 2018;Grodent et al 2018;Bonfond et al 2020;Yao et al 2020;Guo et al 2021;Yao et al 2022). Hence, investigating the Jovian magnetotail reconnection provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between magnetic reconnection and the dynamics of planetary magnetospheres, with important implications for our understanding of space weather and auroral processes in the Jovian magnetosphere.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Dynamic Response of Jovian Magnetotail Reconnection to Enhanced Solar Wind Ram Pressure

Chen,

Zhang,

Delamere

et al. 2024

ApJ

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In this study, we employ the Grid Agnostic Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) for Extended Research Applications (GAMERA), a high-resolving-power, three-dimensional global MHD model, to simulate magnetotail reconnection in Jupiter's magnetosphere. While previous satellite observations have provided initial statistics on magnetotail reconnection properties at Jupiter, they have been limited in spacetime coverage, leaving the dynamic process of Jovian magnetotail reconnection and its response to the solar wind (SW) poorly understood. Using MHD simulations, we quantitatively analyze the temporal evolution and spatial dependence of nightside reconnection in Jupiter's magnetotail under ideal quiet and enhanced SW conditions. Our results demonstrate that magnetotail reconnection tends to occur in the midnight and postmidnight sectors, with a low occurrence in the premidnight sector, consistent with both Galileo and Juno observations and predictions by Delamere & Bagenal. The magnetic local time (MLT)–radial distribution of magnetotail reconnection is broad, indicating that Jovian magnetotail reconnection is always dynamic rather than steady state. Enhanced SW ram pressure can decrease the MLT coverage of magnetotail reconnection by compressing Jupiter's magnetosphere. However, the occurrence of magnetotail reconnection near the midnight and postmidnight sectors is enhanced by SW compression beyond 60 R J, but is not significantly impacted by SW compression within 60 R J. Conversely, SW compression suppresses reconnection in the premidnight sector, leading to a stronger dawn–dusk asymmetry in the occurrence and location of magnetotail reconnection. This study validates the applicability of the GAMERA code for simulating Jupiter’s magnetosphere and provides complementary insights into the dynamic structure and the SW response of Jupiter’s magnetosphere.

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Magnetic reconnection in the magnetodisk of centrifugally dominated giant planets

Guo,

Yao

2024

Rev. Mod. Plasma Phys.

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Magnetic reconnection is crucial in understanding magnetospheric dynamics and aurorae processes at planets. In planetary magnetospheres, magnetic reconnection has often been identified on the dayside magnetopause and in the nightside magnetodisk, where thin-current-sheet conditions are conducive to reconnection. At the Earth, the magnetopause and magnetotail current sheets are primarily controlled by the upstream solar wind. At Jupiter and Saturn, their fast rotation and internal mass sources lead to an additional current sheet that encircles the planet, forming a magnetodisk inside the magnetosphere. The reconnection processes in the magnetodisk current sheet are associated with centrifugal force-driven dynamics. The magnetodisk reconnection is not limited to the nightside but is discretely distributed at all local times inside the magnetosphere. The reconnection sites also rotate with the magnetosphere. These widely distributed small-scale reconnection sites can result in the global release of energy and mass from the magnetosphere.

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Jupiter's Double‐Arc Aurora as a Signature of Magnetic Reconnection: Simultaneous Observations From HST and Juno

Abstract: Jovian ultraviolet (UV) auroral emission shows distinct components. Some of these components are relatively steady while others are highly dynamic (Grodent, 2015). A relatively steady main auroral morphology is a key focus of the community (

Cited by 6 publications

References 86 publications

Dayside Magnetodisk Reconnection in Jovian System: Galileo and Voyager Observation

Dayside Magnetodisk Reconnection in Jovian System: Galileo and Voyager Observation

The Dynamic Response of Jovian Magnetotail Reconnection to Enhanced Solar Wind Ram Pressure

Magnetic reconnection in the magnetodisk of centrifugally dominated giant planets

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