High-Spatiotemporal Resolution Observations of Jupiter Lightning-Induced Radio Pulses Associated With Sferics and Thunderstorms

Abstract

Jupiter lightning discharges produce various kinds of phenomena including radio wave pulses at different frequencies. On 6 April 2019, the Juno Waves instrument captured an extraordinary series of radio pulses at frequencies below 150 kHz on timescales of submilliseconds. Quasi-simultaneous multi-instrument data show that the locations of their magnetic footprints are very close to the locations of ultrahigh frequency (UHF) sferics recorded by the Juno MWR instrument. Hubble Space Telescope images show that the signature of active convection includes cloud-free clearings, in addition to the convective towers and deep water clouds that were also recognized in previous spacecraft observations of lightning source regions. Furthermore, the detections of 17 very low frequency/low-frequency (VLF/LF) radio pulses suggest a minimum duration of lightning processes on the order of submilliseconds. These observations provide new constraints on the physical properties of Jupiter lightning.