Solar control on Jupiter’s equatorial X-ray emissions: 26–29 November 2003 XMM-Newton observation

[1] During Nov. 26–29, 2003 XMM-Newton observed soft (0.2–2 keV) X-ray emission from Jupiter for 69 hours. The low-latitude X-ray disk emission of Jupiter is observed to be almost uniform in intensity with brightness that is consistent with a solar-photon driven process. The simultaneous light curves of Jovian equatorial X rays and solar X rays (measured by the TIMED/SEE and GOES satellites) show similar day-to-day variability. A large solar X-ray flare occurring on the Jupiter-facing side of the Sun is found to have a corresponding feature in the Jovian X rays. These results support the hypothesis that X-ray emission from Jovian low-latitudes are solar X rays scattered from the planet’s upper atmosphere, and suggest that the Sun directly controls the non-auroral X rays from Jupiter’s disk. Our study also suggests that Jovian equatorial X rays can be used to monitor the solar X-ray flare activity on the hemisphere of the Sun that is invisible to space weather satellites. Citation: Bhardwaj, A., G. Branduardi-Raymont, R. F. Elsner, G. R. Gladstone, G. Ramsay, P. Rodriguez, R. Soria, J. H. Waite Jr., and T. E. Cravens (2005), Solar control on Jupiter’s equatorial X-ray emissions: 26 – 29 November 2003 XMM-Newton observation, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L03S08, doi:10.1029/ 2004GL021497.