Radio Observations of Jupiter

Radio emission from Jupiter was first serendipitiously discovered at decametric wavelengths by Franklin and Burke in 1955. Since that time, Jupiter has proven to have a wealth of complex radio emission mechanisms. Below 40 MHz, cyclotron-maser emission dominates, with much of this being associated with the rotational phase of the volcaninc moon Io. Between 40 MHz and a few GHz, the radio emission is dominated by synchrotron emission from magnetically trapped, highly relativistic electrons, which populate the region within a few Jovian radii of the planet. At higher frequencies, the thermal emission from the planet itself dominates -- Jupiter is often used as a calibrator at high frequencies.

Each observing band provides a different window onto Jupiter.

In recent times, interest in Jupiter's radio emissions has been rekindled by the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with the planet in 1994, and by NASA's Galileo space mission which has been in orbit around Jupiter since December 1995.

Here are some references to comparatively recent Jupiter-related papers by ATNF staff or using ATNF instruments.