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Jupiter’s unique x-ray aurora is driven by the same processes as Earth’s: Heavy ion scattering by electromagnetic waves., Jupiter’s rapidly rotating, strong magnetic field provides a natural laboratory that is key to understanding the dynamics of high-energy plasmas. Spectacular auroral x-ray flares are diagnostic of the most energetic processes governing magnetospheres but seemingly unique to Jupiter. Since their discovery 40 years ago, the processes that produce Jupiter’s x-ray flares have remained unknown. Here, we report simultaneous in situ satellite and space-based telescope observations that reveal the processes that produce Jupiter’s x-ray flares, showing surprising similarities to terrestrial ion aurora. Planetary-scale electromagnetic waves are observed to modulate electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves, periodically causing heavy ions to precipitate and produce Jupiter’s x-ray pulses. Our findings show that ion aurorae share common mechanisms across planetary systems, despite temporal, spatial, and energetic scales varying by orders of magnitude.

We compare Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observations of Jupiter during 2007 with a rich multi-instrument data set including upstream in situ solar wind measurements from the New Horizons spacecraft, radio emissions from the Nancay Decametric Array and Wind/Waves, and ultraviolet (UV) observations from the Hubble Space Telescope. New Horizons data revealed two corotating interaction regions (CIRs) impacted Jupiter during these observations. Non-Io decametric bursts and UV emissions brightened together and varied in phase with the CIRs. We characterize three types of X-ray aurorae: hard X-ray bremsstrahlung main emission, pulsed/flared soft X-ray emissions, and a newly identified dim flickering (varying on short time scales, but quasi-continuously present) aurora. For most observations, the X-ray aurorae were dominated by pulsed/flaring emissions, with ion spectral lines that were best fit by iogenic plasma. However, the brightest X-ray aurora was coincident with a magnetosphere expansion. For this observation, the aurorae were produced by both flickering emission and erratic pulses/flares. Auroral spectral models for this observation required the addition of solar wind ions to attain good fits, suggesting solar wind entry into the outer magnetosphere or directly into the pole for this particularly bright observation. X-ray bremsstrahlung from high energy electrons was only bright for one observation, which was during a forward shock. This bremsstrahlung was spatially coincident with bright UV main emission (power > 1 TW) and X-ray ion spectral line dusk emission, suggesting closening of upward and downward current systems during the shock. Otherwise, the bremsstrahlung was dim, and UV main emission power was also lower (

The Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (IS⊙IS) suite on board NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observed six distinct enhancements in the intensities of suprathermal-through-energetic (∼0.03–3 MeV nucleon−1) He ions associated with corotating or stream interaction regions (CIR or SIR) during its first two orbits. Our results from a survey of the time histories of the He intensities, spectral slopes, and anisotropies and the event-averaged energy spectra during these events show the following: (1) In the two strongest enhancements, seen at 0.35 and 0.85 au, the higher-energy ions arrive and maximize later than those at lower energies. In the event seen at 0.35 au, the He ions arrive when PSP was away from the SIR trailing edge and entered the rarefaction region in the high-speed stream. (2) The He intensities either are isotropic or show sunward anisotropies in the spacecraft frame. (3) In all events, the energy spectra between ∼0.2 and 1 MeV nucleon−1 are power laws of the form ∝E −2. In the two strongest events, the energy spectra are well represented by flat power laws between ∼0.03 and 0.4 MeV nucleon−1 modulated by exponential rollovers between ∼0.4 and 3 MeV nucleon−1. We conclude that the SIR-associated He ions originate from sources or shocks beyond PSP’s location rather than from acceleration processes occurring at nearby portions of local compression regions. Our results also suggest that rarefaction regions that typically follow the SIRs facilitate easier particle transport throughout the inner heliosphere such that low-energy ions do not undergo significant energy loss due to adiabatic deceleration, contrary to predictions of existing models.

The Juno spacecraft crossed flux tubes connected to the Io footprint tail at low Jovian altitudes on multiple occasions. The transits covered longitudinal separations of approximately 10 degrees to 120 degrees along the footprint tail. Juno's suite of magnetospheric instruments acquired detailed measurements of the Io footprint tail. Juno observed planetward electron energy fluxes of similar to 70mW/m(2) near the Io footprint and similar to 10mW/m(2) farther down the tail, along with correlated, intense electric and magnetic wave signatures, which also decreased down the tail. All observed electron distributions were broad in energy, suggesting a dominantly broadband acceleration process, and did not show any broad inverted-V structure that would be indicative of acceleration by a quasi-static, discrete, parallel potential. Observed waves were primarily below the proton cyclotron frequency, yet identification of a definitive wave mode is elusive. Beyond 40 degrees down the footprint tail, Juno observed depleted upward loss cones, suggesting that the broadband acceleration occurred at distances beyond Juno's transit distance of 1.3 to 1.7R(J). For all transits, Juno observed fine structure on scales of approximately tens of kilometers and confirmed independently with electron and wave measurements that a bifurcated tail can intermittently exist. Plain Language Summary The Juno spacecraft crossed regions magnetically connected to auroral structures associated with Jupiter's moon Io on multiple occasions. The transits covered longitudinal separations of approximately 10 degrees to 120 degrees along Io's auroral tail. Juno's suite of instruments acquired detailed measurements of these auroral structures. Juno directly observed the electrons that sustain these auroral features before they crash into the atmosphere and generate the brilliant aurora. The flux of these electrons decreased as Juno transited the tail farther from Io's longitude. While there are two main explanations for Io's auroral signatures, the nature of the observed electrons in this work favors one mechanism over the other. When Juno was far from Io's longitude, the observations suggest that the spacecraft was below the point at which the electrons are accelerated into the atmosphere. For all transits, Juno observed fine structure on scales of approximately tens of kilometers and confirmed that a bifurcated tail can intermittently exist.

Recent results of the first ever orbit through Jupiter's auroral region by NASA's Juno spacecraft did not show evidence of coherent acceleration in the auroral or polar region. However, in this letter, we show energetic particle data from Juno's Jupiter Energetic-particle Detector Instrument instrument during the third auroral pass that exhibits conclusive evidence of downward parallel electric fields in portions of Jupiter's polar region. The energetic particle distributions show inverted-V ion and electron structures in a downward electric current region with accelerated peaked distributions in hundreds of keV to ~1 MeV range. The origin of these large electric potential structures is investigated and discussed within the current theoretical framework of current-voltage relationships at both Earth and Jupiter. Parallel electric fields responsible for accelerating particles to maintain the aurora/magnetospheric circuit appear to be a common phenomenon among strongly magnetized planets with conducting ionospheres; however, their origin and generation mechanisms are subjects of ongoing research.

A Hot Flow Anomaly (HFA) is created when an interplanetary current sheet interacts with a planetary bow shock. Previous studies have reported observing HFAs at Earth, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn. During Juno's approach to Jupiter, a number of its instruments operated in the solar wind. Prior to crossing into Jupiter's magnetosphere, Juno observed an HFA at Jupiter for the first time. This Jovian HFA shares most of the characteristics of HFAs seen at other planets. The notable exception is that the Jovian HFA is significantly larger than any HFA seen before. With an apparent size greater than 2 × 106 km the Jovian HFA is orders of magnitude larger than those seen at the other planets. By comparing the size of the HFAs at the other planets with the Jovian HFA, we conclude that HFAs size scales with the size of planetary bow shocks that the interplanetary current sheet interacts with.

We present the first comparison of Jupiter's auroral morphology with an extended, continuous and complete set of near-Jupiter interplanetary data, revealing the response of Jupiter's auroras to the interplanetary conditions. We show that for ∼1-3 days following compression region onset the planet's main emission brightened. A duskside poleward region also brightened during compressions, as well as during shallow rarefaction conditions at the start of the program. The power emitted from the noon active region did not exhibit dependence on any interplanetary parameter, though the morphology typically differed between rarefactions and compressions. The auroras equatorward of the main emission brightened over ∼10 days following an interval of increased volcanic activity on Io. These results show that the dependence of Jupiter's magnetosphere and auroras on the interplanetary conditions are more diverse than previously thought.

We investigate the structure of Jupiter's dawnside magnetopause using observations obtained by particle and fields instrumentation on the Juno spacecraft. Characterization of Jupiter's magnetopause is critical for the understanding of mass and energy transport between the solar wind and the magnetosphere. We find an extended magnetopause boundary layer (MPBL) during a magnetopause crossing on 14 July 2016. This thick MPBL, in combination with a large magnetic field component normal to the magnetopause boundary, suggests that strong magnetospheric compression enhances mass transport across the magnetopause via magnetic reconnection. We further identify ~2 h increases in the total magnetospheric pressure adjacent to the magnetopause on 14 July 2016 and 1 August 2016. These large-scale structures provide evidence of focused energy transport into the magnetosphere via magnetohydrodynamic structures.

Jupiter's main auroral oval provides a window into the complex magnetospheric dynamics of the jovian system. The Juno spacecraft entered orbit about Jupiter on 5 July 2016 and carries onboard the Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) that can directly sample the auroral plasma structures. Here, we identify five distinct regimes in the JADE data based on composition/energy boundaries and magnetic field mappings, which exhibit considerable symmetry between the northern and southern passes. These intervals correspond to periods when Juno was connected to the Io torus, inner plasma sheet, middle plasma sheet, outer plasma sheet, and the polar region. When connected to the torus and inner plasma sheet, the heavy ions are consistent with a corotating pickup population. For Juno's first perijove, we do not find evidence for a broad auroral acceleration region at Jupiter's main auroral oval for energies below 100 keV.

Juno swoops around giant Jupiter Jupiter is the largest and most massive planet in our solar system. NASA's Juno spacecraft arrived at Jupiter on 4 July 2016 and made its first close pass on 27 August 2016. Bolton et al. present results from Juno's flight just above the cloud tops, including images of weather in the polar regions and measurements of the magnetic and gravitational fields. Juno also used microwaves to peer below the visible surface, spotting gas welling up from the deep interior. Connerney et al. measured Jupiter's aurorae and plasma environment, both as Juno approached the planet and during its first close orbit. Science , this issue p. 821 , p. 826

This study examines the first observations from the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) as the Juno spacecraft arrived at Jupiter. JADE observations show that Juno crossed the bow shock at 08:16 UT on 2016 day of year (DOY) 176 and magnetopause at 21:20 on DOY 177, with additional magnetopause encounters until 23:39 on DOY 181. JADE made the first detailed observations of the plasma environment just inside the dawn flank of the magnetopause. We find subcorotational ions and variable electron beaming, with multiple flux tubes of varying plasma properties. Ion composition shows a dearth of heavy ions; protons dominate the plasma, with only intermittent, low fluxes of O+/S++, along with traces of O++ and S+++. We also find very little H3+ or He+, which are expected for an ionospheric plasma source. A few heavy ion bursts occur when the radial field nears reversal, but many other such reversals are not accompanied by heavy ions.

International audience; Using Juno plasma and wave and magnetic observations (JADE and Waves and MAG instruments), the generation mechanism of the Jovian hectometric radio emission is analyzed. It is shown that suitable conditions for the cyclotron maser instability (CMI) are observed in the regions of the radio sources. Pronounced loss cone in the electron distributions are likely the source of free energy for the instability. The theory reveals that sufficient growth rates are obtained from the distribution functions that are measured by the JADE-Electron instrument. The CMI would be driven by upgoing electron populations at 5-10 keV and 10-30° pitch angle, the amplified waves propagating at 82°-87° from the B field, a fraction of a percent above the gyrofrequency. Typical e-folding times of 10-4 s are obtained, leading to an amplification path of 1000 km. Overall, this scenario for generation of the Jovian hectometric waves differs significantly from the case of the auroral kilometric radiation at Earth.

The Juno spacecraft has crossed Jupiter's bow shock (BS) and magnetopause (MP) multiple times in the dawn sector (near 0600 local time), both during the approach to Jupiter and during the first three apojove periods. A survey of all of these crossings using the Juno field and particle instruments has been performed, with 51 bow shock and 97 magnetopause crossings being detected. The BS crossings ranged from 92 to 128 RJ with 1 encounter during the approach, 36 during the first apojove period, 0 on the second, and 14 during the third. The MP crossings ranged from 73 to 114 RJ, with 8 MP encounters during the approach, 40 encounters during the first apojove period, 24 encounters on the second, and 46 during the third. During the approach, Juno initially encountered an expanding magnetosphere resulting in a single BS and MP crossing, followed a few days later by a contracting magnetosphere, resulting in 7 more MP crossings and a BS crossing on the first outbound orbit at 92 RJ. The lack of BS crossings and the limited number of MP crossings during the second apojove period suggests a long period of an expanded magnetosphere, likely caused by a prolonged period of low solar wind dynamic pressure associated with a rarefaction region. The detection of BS crossings on the third apojove period suggests another period of a highly compressed magnetosphere.

We report on plasma and magnetic field observations from Juno's Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment and Magnetic Field Investigation at eighteen magnetopause crossings when the spacecraft was located at ~6 h magnetic local time and 73 – 114 jovian radii from Jupiter. Several crossings showed evidence of plasma energization, accelerated ion flows, and large magnetic shear angles, each representing a signature of magnetic reconnection. These signatures were observed for times when the magnetosphere was in both compressed and expanded states. We compared the flow change magnitudes to a simplified Walen relation and found ~60% of the events to be 110% or less of the predicted values. Close examination of two magnetopause encounters revealed characteristics of a rotational discontinuity and an open magnetopause. These observations provide compelling evidence that magnetic reconnection can occur at Jupiter's dawn magnetopause and should be incorporated into theories of solar wind coupling and outer magnetosphere dynamics at Jupiter.

We analyze plasma ion observations from the Solar Wind Around Pluto instrument on New Horizons as it traveled back through the dusk flank of the Jovian magnetotail from ~600 to more than 2500 Jovian radii behind the planet. We find that at all distances, light ions (mostly protons) dominate the heavy ions (S++ and O+) that are far more abundant in the near Jupiter plasma disk and that were expected to be the primary ions filling the Jovian magnetotail. This key new observation might indicate that heavy ions are confined closer to the equator than the spacecraft trajectory or a substantial addition of light ions via reconnection and/or mixing along the magnetopause boundary. However, because we find no evidence for acceleration of the tail plasma with distance, a more likely explanation seems to be that the heavy ions are preferentially released down the dawn flank of the magnetotail. Perhaps, this occurs as a part of the process where flux tubes, after expanding as they rotate across the near‐tail region, need to pull back inward in order to fit within the dawnside of the magnetopause. A second major finding of this study is that there are two dominant periods of the plasma structures in the Jovian magnetotail: 3.53 (0.18 full width at half maximum (FWHM)) and 5.35 (0.38 FWHM) days. Remarkably, the first of these is identical within the errors to Europa's orbital period (3.55 days). Both of these results should provide important new fodder for Jovian magnetospheric theories and lead to a better understanding of Jupiter's magnetosphere.

International audience; The lowaltitude, highvelocity trajectory of the Juno spacecraft enables the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment to make the rst in situ observations of the highlatitude ionospheric plasma. Ions are observed to energies below 1 eV. The highlatitude ionospheric ions are observed simultaneously with a loss cone in the magnetospheric ions, suggesting precipitating magnetospheric ions contribute to the heating of the upper ionosphere, raising the scale height, and pushing ionospheric ions to altitudes of 0.5 RJ above the planet where they are observed by Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment. The source of the magnetospheric ions is tied to the Io torus and plasma sheet, indicated by the cutoff seen in both the magnetospheric and ionospheric plasma at the Io Mshells. Equatorward of the Io Mshell boundary, the ionospheric ions are not observed, indicating a drop in the scale height of the ionospheric ions at those latitudes.

We compare electron and UV observations mapping to the same location in Jupiter's northern polar region, poleward of the main aurora, during Juno perijove 5. Simultaneous peaks in UV brightness and electron energy flux are identified when observations map to the same location at the same time. The downward energy flux during these simultaneous observations was not sufficient to generate the observed UV brightness; the upward energy flux was. We propose that the primary acceleration region is below Juno's altitude, from which the more intense upward electrons originate. For the complete interval, the UV brightness peaked at ~240 kilorayleigh (kR); the downward and upward energy fluxes peaked at 60 and 700 mW/m2, respectively. Increased downward energy fluxes are associated with increased contributions from tens of keV electrons. These observations provide evidence that bidirectional electron beams with broad energy distributions can produce tens to hundreds of kilorayleigh polar UV emissions., Key Points Simultaneous peaks are observed in electron energy flux and UV brightness when they map to same location in Jupiter's polar region at the same timeUpward greater than downward electron energy fluxes are observed, suggesting that primary acceleration region may be below ~1.5 jovian radiiDownward energy fluxes able to produce tens to hundreds of kilorayleigh polar UV emissions are identified; increases in energy flux due to tens of keV electrons

This paper describes a novel electrostatic analyzer concept to measure suprathermal ions, a Double-Cusp Analyzer for SupraThermals (DCAST) that employs a double-shell cusp structure. Due to the necessity of measuring higher energy levels to cover the suprathermal range, existing ion instruments require greater size and mass. Moreover, observations of potentially low-flux suprathermal ions require a long integration time to fully characterize key ion properties in the plasmas (e.g., anisotropy and energy spectrum) with necessary counting statistics. DCAST covers the suprathermal energy range (2-300 keV/q) spanning heated solar wind and pickup ions; it enables a high cadence, high angular resolution, and wide angle coverage measurement while conserving resources such as mass and size. As a proof-of-concept study, the performance of a prototype DCAST was verified by laboratory measurements (geometric factor, K-factor, and energy resolution), which also involved investigating noise characteristics coming from cross-sector contamination and foreground extreme ultra-violet photons. To understand the specific characteristics of the double-shell type design, the inner and outer sector voltage ratio (RV) effects were examined in terms of the electro-static analyzer performance.This paper describes a novel electrostatic analyzer concept to measure suprathermal ions, a Double-Cusp Analyzer for SupraThermals (DCAST) that employs a double-shell cusp structure. Due to the necessity of measuring higher energy levels to cover the suprathermal range, existing ion instruments require greater size and mass. Moreover, observations of potentially low-flux suprathermal ions require a long integration time to fully characterize key ion properties in the plasmas (e.g., anisotropy and energy spectrum) with necessary counting statistics. DCAST covers the suprathermal energy range (2-300 keV/q) spanning heated solar wind and pickup ions; it enables a high cadence, high angular resolution, and wide angle coverage measurement while conserving resources such as mass and size. As a proof-of-concept study, the performance of a prototype DCAST was verified by laboratory measurements (geometric factor, K-factor, and energy resolution), which also involved investigating noise characteristics coming from...

Energetic neutral atom (ENA) imaging techniques have become a powerful tool for remotely probing plasma environments in space. ENA imagers cover energies from 0.01 keV up to a few MeV, and they use different techniques to cover such a broad energy range. Most of them convert the ENA into a charged particle to remove the converted ENA from the initial neutral direction. In the >∼0.2 keV/nuc to 10’s of keV/nuc range, the conversion subsystem is usually an ultra-thin carbon foil. The sensitivity of ENA imagers based on charge conversion by carbon foils is driven by the ability of these foils to convert a neutral atom into an ion. The charge state distribution after the carbon foils is a strong function of the chemical and physical properties of the exit surface. In this study, we analyze the composition and structure of the surface using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The surface is roughly 88% carbon and 12% oxygen, forming strong C O bonds. Annealing the foil lowers the oxygen content to about 9%. We coat the surface of the foils with Au, Al 2 O 3 , or MgO. We compare the exit charge state distributions of hydrogen prior to and post coatings. While no significant difference is observed in the exit charge state for the Au and Al 2 O 3 coatings, there is a slight decrease of the positive fraction after MgO. The annealing of the foil has the benefit of reducing the angular scattering of hydrogen by a factor of ∼1.2. This is a significant improvement that has the potential to increase sensitivity of ENA imagers.

Carbon foils have been successfully used for several decades in space plasma instruments to detect ions and neutral atoms. These instruments take advantage of two properties of the particle-foil interaction: charge conversion of neutral atoms and/or secondary electron emission. This interaction also creates several adverse effects for the projectile exiting the foil, such as angular scattering and energy straggling, which usually act to reduce the sensitivity and overall performance of an instrument. The magnitude of these effects mainly varies with the incident angle, energy, and mass of the incoming projectile and the foil thickness. In this paper, we describe these effects and the properties of the interaction. We also summarize results from recent studies with graphene foils, which can be made thinner than carbon foils due to their superior strength. Graphene foils may soon replace carbon foils in space plasma instruments and open new opportunities for space research in the future.

This study provides the first observations of Plutogenic ions and their unique interaction with the solar wind. We find ~20% solar wind slowing that maps to a point only ~4.5 RP upstream of Pluto and a bow shock most likely produced by comet-like mass loading. The Pluto obstacle is a region of dense heavy ions bounded by a “Plutopause” where the solar wind is largely excluded and which extends back >100 RP into a heavy ion tail. The upstream standoff distance is at only ~2.5 RP. The heavy ion tail contains considerable structure, may still be partially threaded by the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), and is surrounded by a light ion sheath. The heavy ions (presumably CH4+) have average speed, density, and temperature of ~90 km s−1, ~0.009 cm−3, and ~7 × 105 K, with significant variability, slightly increasing speed/temperature with distance, and are N-S asymmetric. Density and temperature are roughly anticorrelated yielding a pressure ~2 × 10−2 pPa, roughly in balance with the interstellar pickup ions at ~33 AU. We set an upper bound of

The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) is a revolutionary mission that simultaneously investigates two of the most important overarching issues in Heliophysics today: the acceleration of energetic particles and interaction of the solar wind with the local interstellar medium. While seemingly disparate, these are intimately coupled because particles accelerated in the inner heliosphere play critical roles in the outer heliospheric interaction. Selected by NASA in 2018, IMAP is planned to launch in 2024. The IMAP spacecraft is a simple sun-pointed spinner in orbit about the Sun-Earth L1 point. IMAP’s ten instruments provide a complete and synergistic set of observations to simultaneously dissect the particle injection and acceleration processes at 1 AU while remotely probing the global heliospheric interaction and its response to particle populations generated by these processes. In situ at 1 AU, IMAP provides detailed observations of solar wind electrons and ions; suprathermal, pickup, and energetic ions; and the interplanetary magnetic field. For the outer heliosphere interaction, IMAP provides advanced global observations of the remote plasma and energetic ions over a broad energy range via energetic neutral atom imaging, and precise observations of interstellar neutral atoms penetrating the heliosphere. Complementary observations of interstellar dust and the ultraviolet glow of interstellar neutrals further deepen the physical understanding from IMAP. IMAP also continuously broadcasts vital real-time space weather observations. Finally, IMAP engages the broader Heliophysics community through a variety of innovative opportunities. This paper summarizes the IMAP mission at the start of Phase A development. Keywords: Heliosphere, Interstellar medium, IBEX, IMAP, ENA, Energetic particle

International audience

Observations by the Pioneer, Voyager, Ulysses, and Galileo spacecraft in Jupiter's dayside magnetosphere revealed a cushion region, where the magnetic field became increasingly dipolar and the 10‐hr periodicity associated with rotation of the magnetodisc was no longer visible. Focused observations at the dawn terminator by the Juno spacecraft provide critical constraints on the formation physics of the dayside cushion. We observe a persistent 10‐hr periodicity at dawn with only minor distortions of the field near the magnetopause boundary, indicating the absence of a systematic dawn cushion region. These data suggest that the dayside cushion is not formed via mass loss associated with magnetic reconnection along a localized X line but rather may be due to the gradual compression of the dawnside magnetic field as it rotates toward local noon.

Juno's Jupiter Energetic particle Detector Instrument (JEDI) often detects energetic electron beams over Jupiter's polar regions. In this paper, we document a subset of intense magnetic field-aligned beams of energetic electrons moving away from Jupiter at high magnetic latitudes both north and south of the planet. The number fluxes of these beams are often dominated by electrons with energies above about 1 MeV. These very narrow beams can create broad angular responses in JEDI with unique signatures in the detector count rates, probably because of >10 MeV electrons. We use these signatures to identify the most intense beams. These beams occur primarily above the swirl region of the polar cap aurora. This polar region is described as being of low brightness and high absorption and the most magnetically "open" at Jupiter.

We present the JUpiter MagnetosPheric boundary ExploreR, JUMPER, a Jupiter orbiting SmallSat mission concept to explore the planet's upstream solar wind environment and magnetospheric boundaries and measure the energetic neutral atom (ENA) emissions from its space environment. JUMPER's instrument payload consists of a plasma sensor, a magnetometer, and a neutral atom imager. Measurements from these instruments will complement simultaneous observations of Jupiter's magnetosphere, radio emissions, and/or aurora from a Jupiter orbiting spacecraft (e.g. Europa Clipper, Io Observer, JOLT) and/or Earth-based observatories, providing simultaneous, multi-point observations to study the dynamics of this system. JUMPER's science objectives drive several top-level requirements on mission design. The most important is an orbit that extends beyond Jupiter's bow shock and magnetopause on the planet's dayside. Mission design is also constrained by the necessity to ride share on a primary vehicle, preferably until after Jupiter orbit insertion. The JUMPER spacecraft design derives heritage from SmallSats developed for Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)-led missions such as those on the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission. The spacecraft design consists of a frame supporting four triple-deployed solar array panels, a propulsion system, and three science instruments positioned to accommodate their field-of-views (FOVs). Embedded within the frame is an radiation vault that will house a majority of the electronics for the spacecraft avionics and payload subsystems. The spacecraft consists of 5 systems: 1) Mechanical, Structural and Thermal (MST) 2) Flight Avionics System (FAS), 3) Electrical Power System (EPS), 4) Communication and Data System (CDS), and 5) Hydrazine Propulsion System (OPS). JUMPER was funded for full mission concept development through NASA's Planetary Science Deep Space SmallSat Studies (PSDS3) program. This paper describes some of the concept study results.

In July 2016, NASA’s Juno mission becomes the first spacecraft to enter polar orbit of Jupiter and venture deep into unexplored polar territories of the magnetosphere. Focusing on these polar regions, we review current understanding of the structure and dynamics of the magnetosphere and summarize the outstanding issues. The Juno mission profile involves (a) a several-week approach from the dawn side of Jupiter’s magnetosphere, with an orbit-insertion maneuver on July 6, 2016; (b) a 107-day capture orbit, also on the dawn flank; and (c) a series of thirty 11-day science orbits with the spacecraft flying over Jupiter’s poles and ducking under the radiation belts. We show how Juno’s view of the magnetosphere evolves over the year of science orbits. The Juno spacecraft carries a range of instruments that take particles and fields measurements, remote sensing observations of auroral emissions at UV, visible, IR and radio wavelengths, and detect microwave emission from Jupiter’s radiation belts. We summarize how these Juno measurements address issues of auroral processes, microphysical plasma physics, ionosphere-magnetosphere and satellite-magnetosphere coupling, sources and sinks of plasma, the radiation belts, and the dynamics of the outer magnetosphere. To reach Jupiter, the Juno spacecraft passed close to the Earth on October 9, 2013, gaining the necessary energy to get to Jupiter. The Earth flyby provided an opportunity to test Juno’s instrumentation as well as take scientific data in the terrestrial magnetosphere, in conjunction with ground-based and Earth-orbiting assets.

We present observations of 0.1-100 keV electrons from Juno's Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment Electron instrument over Jupiter's polar auroral region for periods around four Juno perijoves (PJ1, PJ3, PJ4, and PJ5). The observations reveal regions containing magnetic field aligned beams of bidirectional electrons having broad energy distributions interspersed between beams of upward electrons with narrow, peaked energy distributions, regions void of these electrons, and regions dominated by penetrating radiation. The electrons show evidence of acceleration via parallel electric fields (inverted-V structures) and via stochastic processes (bidirectional distributions). The inverted-V structures shown here were observed from similar to 1.4 to 2.9 R-J and had spatial scales of hundreds to thousands of kilometers along Juno's trajectory. The upward electron energy flux was typically greater than the downward flux, the latter ranging between similar to 0.01 and 5 mW m(-2) for two cases shown here which we estimate could produce similar to 0.1-50 kR of ultraviolet emission. Plain Language Summary We report on observations of 0.1 - 100 kilo-electron volt electrons from the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment Electron instrument (JADE-E) on Juno over the region where Jupiter's ultraviolet (UV) polar aurora is produced. The observations show electrons moving both towards and away from Jupiter. These electrons show both broad and narrow energy distributions, suggesting the presence of at least two different acceleration mechanisms. Regions void of these electrons and regions dominated by penetrating radiation were also identified. The energy flux of the electrons moving towards Jupiter was sufficient to produce the weaker UV polar auroral emissions observed at Jupiter but a different source of electrons, likely with higher energies, is required to account for the brighter emissions.

We investigate energetic particle transport in Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs) through a case study. The CIR event we study occurred on $2008$ February $08$ and was observed by both the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) and the twin Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO)-B spacecraft. An in-situ reverse shock was observed by STEREO-B ($1.0$ AU) but not ACE ($0.98$ AU). Using STEREO-B observations and assuming the CIR structure does not vary significantly in the corotating frame, we estimate the shock location at later times for both the STEREO-B and ACE observations. Further assuming the accelerated particle spectral shape at the shock does not vary with shock location, we calculate the particle differential intensities as observed by ACE and STEREO-B at two different times by solving the focused transport equation using a Monte-Carlo simulation. We assume that particles move along Parker's field and experience no cross-field diffusion. We find that the modulation of sub-MeV/nucleon particles is significant. To obtain reasonable comparisons between the simulations and the observations by both ACE and STEREO-B, one has to assume that the CIR shock can accelerate more particles at a larger heliocentric distance than at a smaller heliocentric distance., Comment: Published in JGR

International audience; We report on the first observations of 100 eV to 100 keV electrons over the auroral regions of Jupiter by the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) on board the Juno mission. The focus is on the regions that were magnetically connected to the main auroral oval. Amongst the most remarkable features, JADE observed electron beams, mostly upward going but also some downward going in the south, at latitudes from 69° to 72° and -66° to -70° corresponding to M shells ("M" for magnetic) from 18 to 54 and 28 to 61, respectively. The beams were replaced by upward loss cones at lower latitudes. There was no evidence of strongly accelerated downward electrons analogous to the auroral "inverted Vs" at Earth. Rather, the presence of upward loss cones suggests a diffuse aurora process. The energy spectra resemble tails of distributions or power laws (suggestive of a stochastic acceleration process) but can also have some clear enhancements or even peaks generally between 1 and 10 keV. Electron intensities change on timescales of a second or less at times implying that auroral structures can be of the order of a few tens of kilometers.

We have analyzed spectral properties and abundances of ~0.02–3.0 MeV nucleon−1 suprathermal (ST) H–Fe ions in 41 stream interaction regions (SIRs) near 1 au observed by Wind and ACE spacecraft from 1995 January through 2008 December. We find that, (i) the event-averaged spectral index is γ ~ 2.44, with a standard deviation (σ) of 0.67, (ii) γ's are poorly correlated with the magnetic compression ratios, and 17% of the events group around γ ~ 1.5, (iii) γ's for both O and Fe at ~0.02–0.09 MeV nucleon−1 and 0.09–0.3 MeV nucleon−1 are correlated, but do not exhibit any systematic steepening or flattening as a function of energy, (iv) the ST heavy ion abundance ratios remain constant with increasing energy, implying that the spectral rollovers, defined by the e-folding energy E 0, are independent of the ion's mass per charge (M/Q), and (v) SIR ST abundances are similar to the corresponding solar wind values, and do not exhibit any systematic behavior when plotted versus the ion's M/Q or first ionization potential. The above results pose challenges for (1) particle acceleration models that invoke either a corotating interaction region or SIR shocks between ~3 and 5 au, (2) particle transport models that predict M/Q-dependent spectral rollovers due to interplanetary turbulence effects, and (3) the notion that SIR ST ions originate directly from the bulk solar wind. Instead, we suggest that the SIR ST ions are accelerated out of a pool of material that includes particles accelerated in solar energetic particle events and processed or heated solar wind ions.

We fit the $\sim$0.1-500 MeV/nucleon H-Fe spectra in 46 large SEP events surveyed by Desai et al. (2016) with the double power-law Band function to obtain a normalization constant, low- and high-energy parameters $\gamma_a$ and $\gamma_b$; and break energy $E_B$. We also calculate the low-energy power-law spectral slope $\gamma_1$. We find that: 1) $\gamma_a$, $\gamma_1$, and $\gamma_b$ are species-independent within a given SEP event, and the spectra steepen with increasing energy; 2) $E_B$'s are well ordered by Q/M ratio, and decrease systematically with decreasing Q/M, scaling as (Q/M)$^\alpha$ with $\alpha$ varying between $\sim$0.2-3; 3) $\alpha$ is well correlated with Fe/O at $\sim$0.16-0.23 MeV/nucleon and CME speed; 4) In most events: $\alpha$3; and 5) Seven out of 9 extreme SEP events (associated with faster CMEs and GLEs) are Fe-rich, have $\alpha >$1.4, have flatter spectra at low and high energies with $\gamma_b$-$\gamma_a, Comment: 49 pages, 13 figures, 3 tables

We have surveyed ~0.1–100 MeV nucleon^(−1) O and Fe fluence spectra during 46 isolated, large gradual SEP events observed at ACE during solar cycles 23 and 24. Most SEP spectra are well represented by the four-parameter Band function with a normalization constant, low-energy spectral slope, high-energy spectral slope, and break energy. The O and Fe spectral slopes are similar and most spectra steepen above the break energy, probably due to common acceleration and transport processes affecting different ion species. SEP spectra above the break energies depend on the origin of the seed population; larger contributions of suprathermal flare material result in higher Fe/O ratios and flatter spectra at higher energies. SEP events with steeper O spectra at low energies and higher break energies are associated with slower coronal mass ejections (CMEs), while those associated with fast (>2000 km s^(−1)) CMEs and ground level enhancements have harder or flatter spectra at low and high energies, and O break energies between ~1 and 10 MeV nucleon^(−1). The latter events are enriched in ^3He and higher-energy Fe, and have Fe spectra that rollover at significantly lower energies compared with O, probably because Fe ions with smaller Q/M ratios can escape from the distant shock more easily than O ions with larger Q/M ratios. We conclude that SEP spectral properties result from many complex and competing effects, namely Q/M-dependent scattering, shock properties, and the origin of the seed populations, all of which must be taken into account to develop a comprehensive picture of CME-driven shock acceleration of large gradual SEP events.

In large SEP events, ions can be accelerated at CME-driven shocks to very high energies. Spectra of heavy ions in many large SEP events show features such as roll-overs or spectral breaks. In some events when the spectra are plotted in energy/nucleon they can be shifted relative to each other to make the spectral breaks align. The amount of shift is charge-to-mass ratio (Q/A) dependent and varies from event to event. This can be understood if the spectra of heavy ions are organized by the diffusion coefficients (Cohen et al., 2005). In the work of Li et al. (2009), the Q/A dependences of the scaling is related to shock geometry when the CME-driven shock is close to the Sun. For events where multiple in-situ spacecraft observations exist, one may expect that different spacecraft are connected to different portions of the CME-driven shock that have different shock geometries, therefore yielding different Q/A dependence. In this work, we examine one SEP event which occurred on 2013 November 4. We study the Q/A dependence of the energy scaling for heavy ion spectra using Helium, oxygen, and iron ions. Observations from STEREO-A, STEREO-B and ACE are examined. We find that the scalings are different for different spacecraft. We suggest that this is because ACE, STEREO-A and STEREO- B are connected to different parts of the shock that have different shock geometries. Our analysis indicates that studying the Q/A scaling of in-situ particle spectra can serve as a powerful tool to remotely examine the shock geometry for large SEP events., Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures

Energetic storm particle (ESP) events are enhancements above ~0.05 MeV/nucleon ions near 1 AU in association with the passage of an interplanetary (IP) coronal mass ejection (ICME). The primary candidate of producing these enhancements is diffusive shock acceleration (DSA). ESPs can produce significant increases in the near-Earth particulate radiation and pose severe hazards to astronauts and hardware in space. Physical parameters thought to affect ESP production include IP shock properties (e.g., speed, strength, obliquity) and conditions upstream of the propagating shock (e.g., seed population, ambient plasma conditions). Several theoretical and observational studies tried to relate ESP production to these drivers; however, reliable prediction of ESP properties (e.g. intensities, spectra, abundances), including their event-to-event variability, has so far proven elusive. This indicates an incomplete understanding of how ICME-driven IP shocks accelerate ESPs. Using instruments onboard ACE, we investigate the relations between a large set of parameters (28) that characterize (i) ESP properties, (ii) IP shock and ICME properties, and (iii) the upstream and downstream conditions measured across the IP shock. Ee present a comprehensive correlation matrix between all parameters and those of the ESP properties, in an attempt to identify the dominant parameters that influence ESP production and variability. We find that within the selected dataset, (1) spectral and compositional relations strongly indicate a rigidity-dependent acceleration mechanism, (2) correlations between observations and DSA predictions are poor, (iii) ICME sheath temperature appears to play a role in determining the ESP peak intensities.

Using measurements from the Advanced Composition Explorer/Ultra-Low Energy Isotope Spectrometer near 1 au, we surveyed the composition and spectra of heavy ions (He-through-Fe) during quiet times from 1998 January 1 to 2015 December 31 at suprathermal energies between ~0.11 and ~1.28 MeV nucleon−1. The selected time period covers the maxima of solar cycles 23 and 24 and the extended solar minimum in between. We find the following. (1) The number of quiet hours in each year correlates well with the sunspot number, year 2009 was the quietest for about 82% of the time. (2) The composition of the quiet-time suprathermal heavy-ion population (3He, C-through-Fe) correlates well with the level of solar activity, exhibiting SEP-like composition signatures during solar maximum, and CIR- or solar wind-like composition during solar minimum. (3) The heavy-ion (C–Fe) spectra exhibit suprathermal tails at energies of 0.11–0.32 MeV nucleon−1 with power-law spectral indices ranging from 1.40 to 2.97. Fe spectra soften (steepen, i.e., spectral index increases) smoothly with increasing energies compared with Fe, indicating a rollover behavior of Fe at higher energies (0.45–1.28 MeV nucleon−1). (4) Spectral indices of Fe and O do not appear to exhibit clear solar cycle dependence. (2) and (3) imply that during IP quiet times and at energies above ~0.1 MeV nucleon−1, the IP medium is dominated by material from prior solar and interplanetary events. We discuss the implications of these extended observations in the context of the current understanding of the suprathermal ion population near 1 au.

The “Ice Giants” Uranus and Neptune are a different class of planet compared to Jupiter and Saturn. Studying these objects is important for furthering our understanding of the formation and evolution of the planets, and unravelling the fundamental physical and chemical processes in the Solar System. The importance of filling these gaps in our knowledge of the Solar System is particularly acute when trying to apply our understanding to the numerous planetary systems that have been discovered around other stars. The Uranus Pathfinder (UP) mission thus represents the quintessential aspects of the objectives of the European planetary community as expressed in ESA’s Cosmic Vision 2015–2025. UP was proposed to the European Space Agency’s M3 call for medium-class missions in 2010 and proposed to be the first orbiter of an Ice Giant planet. As the most accessible Ice Giant within the M-class mission envelope Uranus was identified as the mission target. Although not selected for this call the UP mission concept provides a baseline framework for the exploration of Uranus with existing low-cost platforms and underlines the need to develop power sources suitable for the outer Solar System. The UP science case is based around exploring the origins, evolution, and processes at work in Ice Giant planetary systems. Three broad themes were identified: (1) Uranus as an Ice Giant, (2) An Ice Giant planetary system, and (3) An asymmetric magnetosphere. Due to the long interplanetary transfer from Earth to Uranus a significant cruise-phase science theme was also developed. The UP mission concept calls for the use of a Mars Express/Rosetta-type platform to launch on a Soyuz–Fregat in 2021 and entering into an eccentric polar orbit around Uranus in the 2036–2037 timeframe. The science payload has a strong heritage in Europe and beyond and requires no significant technology developments. Fil: Arridge, Christopher S.. University College London; Estados Unidos Fil: Agnor, Craig B.. Queen Mary University of London; Reino Unido Fil: Andre, Nicolas. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia Fil: Baines, Kevin H.. National Aeronautics And Space Administration; Estados Unidos Fil: Fletcher, Leigh N.. University of Oxford; Reino Unido Fil: Gautier, Daniel. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Observatoire de Paris; Francia Fil: Hofstadter, Mark D.. National Aeronautics And Space Administration; Estados Unidos Fil: Jones, Geraint H.. University College London; Estados Unidos Fil: Lamy, Laurent. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Observatoire de Paris; Francia Fil: Langevin, Yves. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia Fil: Mousis, Olivier. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia Fil: Nettelmann, Nadine. Universitat Rostock; Alemania Fil: Russell, Christopher T.. University of California at Los Angeles; Estados Unidos Fil: Stallard, Tom. University of Leicester; Reino Unido Fil: Tiscareno, Matthew S.. Cornell University; Estados Unidos Fil: Tobie, Gabriel. Centre de Recherche de Nantes; Francia Fil: Bacon, Andrew. Systems Engineering and Asssessment Ltd; Reino Unido Fil: Chaloner, Chris. Systems Engineering and Asssessment Ltd; Reino Unido Fil: Guest, Michael. Systems Engineering and Asssessment Ltd; Reino Unido Fil: Kemble, Steve. Astrium; Reino Unido Fil: Peacocke, Lisa. Astrium; Reino Unido Fil: Achilleos, Nicholas. University College London; Estados Unidos Fil: Andert, Thomas P.. Universität der Bundeswehr; Alemania Fil: Banfield, Don. Cornell University; Estados Unidos Fil: Barabash, Stas. Sweden Institute of Space Physics; Suecia Fil: Barthelemy, Matthieu. Universite Joseph Fourier; Francia Fil: Bertucci, Cesar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentina Fil: Brandt, Pontus. University Johns Hopkins; Estados Unidos Fil: Cecconi, Baptiste. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Observatoire de Paris; Francia Fil: Chakrabarti, Supriya. Boston University; Estados Unidos

We report observations of the acceleration and trapping of energetic ions and electrons between a pair of corotating interaction regions (CIRs). The event occurred in Carrington Rotation 2060. Observed by the STEREO-B spacecraft, the two CIRs were separated by less than 5 days. In contrast to other CIR events, the fluxes of the energetic ions and electrons in this event reached their maxima between the trailing edge of the first CIR and the leading edge of the second CIR. The radial magnetic field (Br ) reversed its sense and the anisotropy of the flux also changed from Sunward to anti-Sunward between the two CIRs. Furthermore, there was an extended period of counterstreaming suprathermal electrons between the two CIRs. Similar observations for this event were also obtained with the Advanced Composition Explorer and STEREO-A. We conjecture that these observations were due to a U-shaped, large-scale magnetic field topology connecting the reverse shock of the first CIR and the forward shock of the second CIR. Such a disconnected U-shaped magnetic field topology may have formed due to magnetic reconnection in the upper corona.