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GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: RECENT JUNO OBSERVATIONS HAVE ILLUSTRATED THAT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ELECTRON PRECIPITATION IN THE JUPITER AURORA IS LARGELY BROADBAND (E.G. MAUK ET AL. 2017A 2017B ALLEGRINI ET AL. 2017). AS IN THE TERRESTRIAL CONTEXT THE BROADBAND NATURE OF THE PRECIPITATION IS SUGGESTIVE OF ENERGIZATION IN DISPERSIVE SCALE ALFVEN WAVES (INERTIAL OR KINETIC). HOWEVER A DIRECT CAUSAL LINK FOR JUPITER HAS YET TO BE ESTABLISHED AND THE DETAILS OF THE ENERGIZATION PROCESS YET TO BE UNDERSTOOD. WITH THESE MOTIVATIONS IN MIND WE PLAN TO INVESTIGATE: (1) CAN PERTURBATIONS OF ALFVEN WAVE ENERGY IN THE JUPITER MAGNETODISC ACCOUNT FOR THE OBSERVED BROADBAND ELECTRON SPECTRA AT HIGH LATITUDES? (2) WHERE IS THE PRIMARY ELECTRON ENERGIZATION HAPPENING AND WHAT ARE THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS OF INERTIAL AND KINETIC ALFVEN WAVES TO THE OBSERVED BROADBAND ELECTRON SPECTRUM? AND (3) TO WHAT EXTENT DO ELECTRONS ENERGIZED IN DISPERSIVE SCALE ALFVEN WAVES CONTRIBUTE TO THE GENERATION OF THE SUPRATHERMAL ELECTRON POPULATION?

$479,816FY2020National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA

University Of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks AK

Investigators

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