Wavelet analysis of low frequency magnetic field fluctuations in the Jupiter’s magnetotail

Abstract

Jupiter’s magnetospheric processes are strongly influenced by the planet fast rotation and by its internal plasma sources. As a consequence, the 10-h rotation period signal is dominant on many datasets. In this work, in order to study low frequency magnetic fluctuations in the Jupiter’s magnetotail, the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) analysis is employed to investigate the magnetic field vector data during six orbits of Galileo spacecraft. Besides the near 10-h Jovian rotation period, the major periods found in this study are 5-h, most likely due to transient disturbances in Jupiter’s magnetosphere, and from 1.5 to 3.5 days, possibly related to global reconfiguration in the magnetosphere.These periodicities may also be related to the mass-loading from the moon Io and to possible modulation by the solar wind. Furthermore, long periods have been also found from 5 to 35 days. The method presented in this study could be very useful for application in other datasets of planetary magnetospheres.