Plasma wave measurements in the magnetosphere of Uranus

Abstract

As Voyager 2 traversed the magnetosphere of Uranus, the plasma wave instrument detected very significant phenomena related to local wave‐particle interactions, radio emissions, and dust impacts. Here we consider the region between the inbound and outbound bow shock traversals (covering a distance of more than 250 R U ), and we demonstrate that intense plasma wave activity developed only in the inner magnetosphere ( r < 12 R U ); this result is similar to that found at Saturn, but it is in marked contrast with the Jupiter case, where very strong wave activity was detected out to distances of 250 R J . The Uranus plasma wave observations in the inner magnetosphere are compared with corresponding results from the Jupiter and Saturn encounters, and it is shown that the Uranus wave measurements are unique in several significant ways. These new aspects include (1) the detection of a marked inbound‐outbound asymmetry and (2) the detection of whistler mode waves that yield the strongest wave‐particle interactions found in outer planet magnetospheres.