Electron Beams at Europa
Abstract Jupiter's moon Europa contains a subsurface ocean whose presence is inferred from magnetic field measurements, the interpretation of which depends on knowledge of Europa's local plasma environment. A recent Juno spacecraft flyby returned new observations of plasma electrons with u...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-07-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108422 |
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| author | F. Allegrini J. Saur J. R. Szalay R. W. Ebert W. S. Kurth S. Cervantes H. T. Smith F. Bagenal S. J. Bolton G. Clark J. E. P. Connerney P. Louarn B. Mauk D. J. McComas A. Pontoni Y. Sarkango P. Valek R. J. Wilson |
| author_facet | F. Allegrini J. Saur J. R. Szalay R. W. Ebert W. S. Kurth S. Cervantes H. T. Smith F. Bagenal S. J. Bolton G. Clark J. E. P. Connerney P. Louarn B. Mauk D. J. McComas A. Pontoni Y. Sarkango P. Valek R. J. Wilson |
| author_sort | F. Allegrini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Jupiter's moon Europa contains a subsurface ocean whose presence is inferred from magnetic field measurements, the interpretation of which depends on knowledge of Europa's local plasma environment. A recent Juno spacecraft flyby returned new observations of plasma electrons with unprecedented resolution. Specifically, powerful magnetic field‐aligned electron beams were discovered near Europa. These beams, with energies from ∼30 to ∼300 eV, locally enhance electron‐impact‐excited emissions and ionization in Europa's atmosphere by more than a factor three over the local space environment, and are associated with large jumps of the magnetic fields. The beams therefore play an essential role in shaping Europa's plasma and magnetic field environment and thus need to be accounted for electromagnetic sounding of Europa's ocean and plume detection by future missions such as JUICE and Europa Clipper. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a68bf8f7d7d24c848dc4b6da494cd029 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-a68bf8f7d7d24c848dc4b6da494cd0292025-08-20T03:12:51ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072024-07-015113n/an/a10.1029/2024GL108422Electron Beams at EuropaF. Allegrini0J. Saur1J. R. Szalay2R. W. Ebert3W. S. Kurth4S. Cervantes5H. T. Smith6F. Bagenal7S. J. Bolton8G. Clark9J. E. P. Connerney10P. Louarn11B. Mauk12D. J. McComas13A. Pontoni14Y. Sarkango15P. Valek16R. J. Wilson17Southwest Research Institute San Antonio TX USAInstitute of Geophysics and Meteorology University of Cologne Cologne GermanyDepartment of Astrophysical Sciences Princeton University Princeton NJ USASouthwest Research Institute San Antonio TX USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy University of Iowa Iowa City IA USAInstitute of Geophysics and Meteorology University of Cologne Cologne GermanyThe Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel MD USALaboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics University of Colorado Boulder Boulder CO USASouthwest Research Institute San Antonio TX USAThe Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel MD USASpace Research Corporation Annapolis MD USAInstitut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP) Toulouse FranceThe Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel MD USADepartment of Astrophysical Sciences Princeton University Princeton NJ USASouthwest Research Institute San Antonio TX USADepartment of Astrophysical Sciences Princeton University Princeton NJ USASouthwest Research Institute San Antonio TX USALaboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics University of Colorado Boulder Boulder CO USAAbstract Jupiter's moon Europa contains a subsurface ocean whose presence is inferred from magnetic field measurements, the interpretation of which depends on knowledge of Europa's local plasma environment. A recent Juno spacecraft flyby returned new observations of plasma electrons with unprecedented resolution. Specifically, powerful magnetic field‐aligned electron beams were discovered near Europa. These beams, with energies from ∼30 to ∼300 eV, locally enhance electron‐impact‐excited emissions and ionization in Europa's atmosphere by more than a factor three over the local space environment, and are associated with large jumps of the magnetic fields. The beams therefore play an essential role in shaping Europa's plasma and magnetic field environment and thus need to be accounted for electromagnetic sounding of Europa's ocean and plume detection by future missions such as JUICE and Europa Clipper.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108422EuropaJupiter's magnetosphereelectronplasmaJunoflyby |
| spellingShingle | F. Allegrini J. Saur J. R. Szalay R. W. Ebert W. S. Kurth S. Cervantes H. T. Smith F. Bagenal S. J. Bolton G. Clark J. E. P. Connerney P. Louarn B. Mauk D. J. McComas A. Pontoni Y. Sarkango P. Valek R. J. Wilson Electron Beams at Europa Geophysical Research Letters Europa Jupiter's magnetosphere electron plasma Juno flyby |
| title | Electron Beams at Europa |
| title_full | Electron Beams at Europa |
| title_fullStr | Electron Beams at Europa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Electron Beams at Europa |
| title_short | Electron Beams at Europa |
| title_sort | electron beams at europa |
| topic | Europa Jupiter's magnetosphere electron plasma Juno flyby |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108422 |
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