First Measurements of Jovian Electrons by Parker Solar Probe/IS⊙IS within 0.5 au of the Sun

Energetic electrons of Jovian origin have been observed for decades throughout the heliosphere, as far as 11 au, and as close as 0.5 au, from the Sun. The treatment of Jupiter as a continuously emitting point source of energetic electrons has made Jovian electrons a valuable tool in the study of ene...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2022-07, Vol.933 (2), p.171
Main Authors: Mitchell, J. G., Leske, R. A., Nolfo, G. A. DE, Christian, E. R., Wiedenbeck, M. E., McComas, D. J., Cohen, C. M. S., Cummings, A. C., Hill, M. E., Labrador, A. W., Mays, M. L., McNutt, R. L., Mewaldt, R. A., Mitchell, D. G., Odstrcil, D., Schwadron, N. A., Stone, E. C., Szalay, J. R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astrophysics
Corotating streams
Current sheets
Electron transport
Heliosphere
Heliospheric current sheet
Interplanetary magnetic fields
Interplanetary particle acceleration
Jupiter
Jupiter probes
Solar energetic particles
Solar probes
Spacecraft
Sun
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Energetic electrons of Jovian origin have been observed for decades throughout the heliosphere, as far as 11 au, and as close as 0.5 au, from the Sun. The treatment of Jupiter as a continuously emitting point source of energetic electrons has made Jovian electrons a valuable tool in the study of energetic electron transport within the heliosphere. We present observations of Jovian electrons measured by the EPI-Hi instrument in the Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun instrument suite on Parker Solar Probe at distances within 0.5 au of the Sun. These are the closest measurements of Jovian electrons to the Sun, providing a new opportunity to study the propagation and transport of energetic electrons to the inner heliosphere. We also find periods of nominal connection between the spacecraft and Jupiter in which expected Jovian electron enhancements are absent. Several explanations for these absent events are explored, including stream interaction regions between Jupiter and Parker Solar Probe and the spacecraft lying on the opposite side of the heliospheric current sheet from Jupiter, both of which could impede the flow of the electrons. These observations provide an opportunity to gain a greater insight into electron transport through a previously unexplored region of the inner heliosphere.
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.3847/1538-4357/ac75ce