Europa is Embedded in Non‐Maxwellian, Anisotropic Electron Distributions

Abstract In September 2022, the Juno spacecraft flew by Europa, providing new insight into the electron pitch angle and energy distributions via the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment electron analyzers (JADE‐E). We fit these observations with two anisotropic kappa distributions (cold and hot), accounting for spacecraft potential, which we find to be between −10 V and −18 V, indicating that dust grains near Europa's orbit are similarly charged. We find these distributions to be non‐Maxwellian and often anisotropic, exhibiting substructure with ∼20 km spatial resolution, providing a database of reaction rates near Europa. We further provide constraints on the emission of UV photons from electrons impacts, finding near constant 1,356/1,304 line ratios from , and . The electron beams, wake, and upstream/downstream regions all exhibit distinct characteristics across density, temperature, anisotropy, and thermodynamic , illuminating the complexity of Europa's magnetospheric interaction.

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Publication Details

Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
Published
2026-03-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2025gl120837
Primary Topic
Astro and Planetary Science
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Europa is Embedded in Non‐Maxwellian, Anisotropic Electron Distributions

Y. Sarkango, G. Livadiotis, F. Allegrini, A. H. Sulaiman et al.
Geophysical Research Letters
Astro and Planetary Science
article

Europa is Embedded in Non‐Maxwellian, Anisotropic Electron Distributions

Y. Sarkango, G. Livadiotis, F. Allegrini, A. H. Sulaiman, M. Horányi, R. W. Ebert, J. R. Szalay, S. P. Ellis, S. R. Carberry Mogan, D. J. McComas, T. Oberg
article en

Abstract

Abstract In September 2022, the Juno spacecraft flew by Europa, providing new insight into the electron pitch angle and energy distributions via the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment electron analyzers (JADE‐E). We fit these observations with two anisotropic kappa distributions (cold and hot), accounting for spacecraft potential, which we find to be between −10 V and −18 V, indicating that dust grains near Europa's orbit are similarly charged. We find these distributions to be non‐Maxwellian and often anisotropic, exhibiting substructure with ∼20 km spatial resolution, providing a database of reaction rates near Europa. We further provide constraints on the emission of UV photons from electrons impacts, finding near constant 1,356/1,304 line ratios from , and . The electron beams, wake, and upstream/downstream regions all exhibit distinct characteristics across density, temperature, anisotropy, and thermodynamic , illuminating the complexity of Europa's magnetospheric interaction.

Geophysical Research LettersVol. 53(6)
Southwest Research Institute (US), University of Minnesota (US), Princeton University (US), Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (US), The University of Texas at San Antonio (US), KTH Royal Institute of Technology (SE)
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Astro and Planetary Science
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