Effects of background noise on fit parameters of plasma scattering angle distributions.

The presence of noise in plasma particle measurements by scientific instruments causes inaccuracies in the determined plasma bulk parameters. This study demonstrates and evaluates the effects of noise in the determination of typical distribution functions describing the scattering angles of plasma particles passing through thin foils. First, we simulate measurements of plasma particles passing through a thin carbon foil, considering that their scattering angles follow kappa-like distribution functions, as being addressed in previous studies. We work with these specific distributions because we can produce them in the laboratory. We add Poisson-distributed background noise to the simulated data. We fit the simulated measurements and compare the fit parameters with the input parameters. As expected, we find that the discrepancy between the initial parameters and those derived from the fits increases with the relative increase of the noise. The misestimations exhibit characteristic trends as functions of the signal-to-noise ratio and the input parameters. Second, we examine the scattering angle distributions measured with a laboratory experiment of protons passing through a thin carbon foil for different signal-to-noise ratios. These measurements support the simulation results, although they exhibit a larger discrepancy than found in the simulations. Finally, we discuss how we can improve the accuracy of estimated distribution parameters in space and ground-based applications by excluding data-points from the tails of the distribution functions. Although our results exhibit the effects of noise in a specific type of distribution functions, we explain that this technique can be applied to and optimized for other specific data-sets.

Revealing the source of Jupiter's x-ray auroral flares.

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.

A Preliminary Study of Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere Coupling at Jupiter: Juno Multi-Instrument Measurements and Modeling Tools.

The dynamics of the Jovian magnetosphere are controlled by the interplay of the planet's fast rotation, its main iogenic plasma source and its interaction with the solar wind. Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere (MIT) coupling processes controlling this interplay are significantly different from their Earth and Saturn counterparts. At the ionospheric level, they can be characterized by a set of key parameters: ionospheric conductances, electric currents and fields, exchanges of particles along field lines, Joule heating and particle energy deposition. From these parameters, one can determine (a) how magnetospheric currents close into the ionosphere, and (b) the net deposition/extraction of energy into/out of the upper atmosphere associated to MIT coupling. We present a new method combining Juno multi-instrument data (MAG, JADE, JEDI, UVS, JIRAM and Waves) and modeling tools to estimate these key parameters along Juno's trajectories. We first apply this method to two southern hemisphere main auroral oval crossings to illustrate how the coupling parameters are derived. We then present a preliminary statistical analysis of the morphology and amplitudes of these key parameters for eight among the first nine southern perijoves. We aim to extend our method to more Juno orbits to progressively build a comprehensive view of Jovian MIT coupling at the level of the main auroral oval.

Magnetotail Reconnection at Jupiter: A Survey of Juno Magnetic Field Observations.

At Jupiter, tail reconnection is thought to be driven by an internal mass loading and release process called the Vasyliunas cycle. Galileo data have shown hundreds of reconnection events occurring in Jupiter's magnetotail. Here we present a survey of reconnection events observed by Juno during its first 16 orbits of Jupiter (July 2016-October 2018). The events are identified using Juno magnetic field data, which facilitates comparison to the Vogt et al. (2010, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JA015098) survey of reconnection events from Galileo magnetometer data, but we present data from Juno's other particle and fields instruments for context. We searched for field dipolarizations or reversals and found 232 reconnection events in the Juno data, most of which featured an increase in |B θ |, the magnetic field meridional component, by a factor of 3 over background values. We found that most properties of the Juno reconnection events, like their spatial distribution and duration, are comparable to Galileo, including the presence of a ~3-day quasi-periodicity in the recurrence of Juno tail reconnection events and in Juno JEDI, JADE, and Waves data. However, unlike with Galileo we were unable to clearly define a statistical x-line separating planetward and tailward Juno events. A preliminary analysis of plasma velocities during five magnetic field reconnection events showed that the events were accompanied by fast radial flows, confirming our interpretation of these magnetic signatures as reconnection events. We anticipate that a future survey covering other Juno datasets will provide additional insight into the nature of tail reconnection at Jupiter.

A double-cusp type electrostatic analyzer for high-cadence solar-wind suprathermal ion observations.

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 (R V ) effects were examined in terms of the electro-static analyzer performance.

Angular scattering of 1-50 keV ions through graphene and thin carbon foils: potential applications for space plasma instrumentation.

We present experimental results for the angular scattering of ~1-50 keV H, He, C, O, N, Ne, and Ar ions transiting through graphene foils and compare them with scattering through nominal ~0.5 µg cm(-2) carbon foils. Thin carbon foils play a critical role in time-of-flight ion mass spectrometers and energetic neutral atom sensors in space. These instruments take advantage of the charge exchange and secondary electron emission produced as ions or neutral atoms transit these foils. This interaction also produces angular scattering and energy straggling for the incident ion or neutral atom that acts to decrease the performance of a given instrument. Our results show that the angular scattering of ions through graphene is less pronounced than through the state-of-the-art 0.5 µg cm(-2) carbon foils used in space-based particle detectors. At energies less than 50 keV, the scattering angle half width at half maximum, ψ(1/2), for ~3-5 atoms thick graphene is up to a factor of 3.5 smaller than for 0.5 µg cm(-2) (~20 atoms thick) carbon foils. Thus, graphene foils have the potential to improve the performance of space-based plasma instruments for energies below ~50 keV.