Jupiter's synchrotron radiation: observed variations before, during and after the impacts of comet sl-9

摘要

Results of an observing program to monitor the synchrotron radio emission from Jupiter's inner radiation belts after the impact of Comet SL-9 are reported. The observations were made at 2295 MHz as part of the NASA-JPL Jupiter Patrol, a long term radio astronomy monitoring program begun in 1971. Data from the monitoring program illustrates the long-term variability of the synchrotron radiation with timescales of months to years. Jupiter Patrol observations taken during the period surrounding the Comet SL-9 impacts [Klein et al., 1995] indicate that the intensity of the synchrotron emission at 13 cm wavelength increased by 27 percent within a few days afeter the comet impacts and the magnetic latitude beaming curves flattened after the week of the impacts. In this paper we report new observations made in 1995-96 showing that the microwave brightening following the comet impacts has decayed with an e-folding time of approximately 170 days and that a new outburst, presumably unrelated to the SL-9 impacts, amy have occurred in August 1995.