Polarization of Jovian decametric radiation

Abstract

Decametric radiation from Jupiter impinging on the Earth's ionosphere is not in a magnetoionic base mode. If one assumes, as most researchers in the field do, that the radiation is generated at Jupiter in the extraordinary base mode, one must conclude that coupling has occurred somewhere near Jupiter. It is shown here that coupling does not occur in Jupiter's ionosphere but further out in the Jovian magnetosphere. The lack of observed Faraday rotation within Jupiter's ionosphere and magnetosphere cannot be used to rule ou ta hot, dense ionosphere and magnetosphere as was suggested previously. It is also shown that the radiation emerging from Jupiter should be elliptically polarized with an axial ratio varying between 0.4 and 0.9. The orientation of the polarization ellipse varies as a function of emitting longitude.