Are Io's Alfven wings filamented? - Galileo observations

The interaction of Io with the Jovian magnetosphere generates auroral and radio emissions. The underlying electron acceleration process is not understood and few observations exist to constrain the theoretical models. The source of energy for the electron acceleration is in all likelihood supplied from the Alfven wings that stretch out from both poles of Io into the two Jovian hemispheres. The form of the current system associated with the Alfven wings has been disputed, some suggesting that the greatly slowed flow near to implies that a steady current loop links Io to Jupiter's ionosphere, others arguing that the return waves appear only downstream of Io and others suggesting that both forms develop. Given the finite inclination of the Alfven wings implied by the finite value of the Alfven Mach number and the strong reflection that occurs at the boundary of the Io torus, we argue that no steady current loop can be invoked between Io and Jupiter's ionosphere. However, the energetics of the auroral and radio emissions imply that most of the energy in the Alfven wings is transformed into electron acceleration at high-latitudes, that is, outside the Io torus. The dilemma then is to understand how a large fraction of the power penetrates the reflecting boundary. We present data from Galileo's multiple flybys of Io that suggest that the coupling with the Jovian ionosphere is mediated by filamentary Alfven wings associated with electromagnetic waves propagating out of the torus. In particular, we report on the systematic observation, within the cross-section of Io's Alfven wings and in their immediate vicinity, of intense electromagnetic waves at frequencies up to several times the proton gyrofrequency. We interpret these high-frequency/small-scale waves as the signature of a strong filamentation/ fragmentation of the Alfven wings before they reflect off of the sharp boundary gradient of the Io torus. As a consequence, we suggest that most of the primary energy is converted into high-frequency/small-scale electromagnetic waves that can propagate out from the torus toward Jupiter's ionosphere. Reaching high-latitudes, these waves are able to accelerate electrons to almost relativistic speeds. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.