Jupiter's magnetopause, bow shock, and 10-hour modulated magnetosheath: Voyagers 1 and 2
This summary report discusses Jupiter's magnetopause, bow shock and magnetosheath, based on fine scale magnetic field data from the Voyager 1 and 2 encounters. Explicit models of the dawnside magnetopause and bow shock in Jupiter's orbital plane employ an axisymmetric parabola and hyperbola, respectively, and satisfy average boundary crossing positions, inbound and outbond; these models are determined separately for the two encounters. Average magntopause normals, estimated by minimum variance analyses of the field, generally satisfy the model-parabola to within a few degrees, except for the Voyager 2 outbound crossings. A new phenomenon has been discovered in Jupiter's magnetosheath. It is manifested as (5 or) 10 hour quasi-periodic modulation of the direction of the magnetic field in the outbound magnetosheath, predominantly in the northward (N) and southward (S) directions. It was seen to occur during both encounters and appears most evident in Voyager 2 outbound observations. The durations of the Narrow-right-leftS transitions range from tens of minutes to approx.3 hours. These transitions occur in a plane parallel to the local model magnetopause location. These signatures may be due to magnetosheath field line draping modulated by the large scale motion of the magnetospheric plasma disk.
- Research Organization:
- Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771
- OSTI ID:
- 6524801
- Journal Information:
- Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States), Journal Name: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States) Vol. 8:1; ISSN GPRLA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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