Researchers uncover new plasma wave in Jupiter’s aurora

Researchers on the College of Minnesota Twin Cities have made a brand new discovery by observing and analyzing the primary new kind of plasma wave in Jupiter’s aurora. This analysis helps us perceive “alien aurora” on different planets, which in flip teaches us extra about how Earth’s magnetic subject protects us from the solar’s dangerous radiation.

The commentary is predicated on information from NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which made a historic low orbit flight over Jupiter’s north pole, the place the crew was in a position to make use of their experience in information evaluation to review information from the northern polar areas of Jupiter for the primary time. The analysis is printed in Bodily Assessment Letters.

“The James Webb House Telescope has given us some infrared photos of the aurora, however Juno is the primary spacecraft in a polar orbit round Jupiter,” mentioned Ali Sulaiman, an assistant professor within the College of Minnesota College of Physics and Astronomy.

The area round magnetized planets like Jupiter is stuffed with plasma, a superheated state of matter the place atoms break into electrons and ions. These particles are accelerated towards the planet’s environment, inflicting the gases to mild up as an aurora. On Earth, that is seen as acquainted inexperienced and blue lights. Nonetheless, Jupiter’s aurora is often invisible to the bare eye and might solely be noticed utilizing UV and infrared devices.

The crew’s evaluation revealed that because of the extraordinarily low density of Jupiter’s polar plasma mixed with its highly effective magnetic subject, the plasma waves have a really low frequency, not like something beforehand noticed round Earth.

“Whereas plasma can behave like a fluid, additionally it is influenced by its personal magnetic fields and exterior fields,” mentioned Robert Lysak, a professor within the College of Minnesota College of Physics and Astronomy and an skilled on plasma dynamics.

The research additionally sheds mild on how Jupiter’s complicated magnetic subject permits particles to flood into the polar cap, not like Earth the place the aurora kinds a donut sample of auroral exercise across the polar cap. The researchers hope to collect extra information as Juno continues its mission to help additional analysis into this new phenomenon.

Along with Lysak and Sulaiman, the analysis crew included Sadie Elliott, a researcher with the College of Physics and Astronomy, together with researchers from the College of Iowa and the Southwest Analysis Institute.