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Leblanc, Y.

Publications and source records attributed to Leblanc, Y..

Divine-garrett model and Jovian synchrotron emission

Simulations of synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons trapped in Jupiter's magnetic field are used to evaluate the energetic electron distribution of the Divine-Garrett Jupiter radiation belt model at radial distances less than 4 Jovian radii.

Radial diffusion-models electrons jupiter

U Burst in the Solar Wind

A type U bursts was observed on 22 June 1998 with the WAVES radio receivers on the Wind spacecraft. It descended in frequency from 5 MHz to the turning frequency of about 1 MHz. It is extremely rare that a U burst is observed at such a low frequency, well out in the solar wind. Using a density model to convert frequency to radial distance, we find that the radio emission started at 3 solar radius, and that the electron stream turned back toward the sun at about 8 solar radius. The probable origin of the energetic electrons was in a B 6.8 X-ray flare that was coincident with the onset of the U burst. A series of images by the SOHO/LASCO chronograph show a slow (214 km/s) CME in progress on the west limb whose front was at 9 solar radius, at the time of the U burst. As no stable magnetic loops exist at radial distances such as 8-9 solar radius, we attribute the U burst to a stream of energetic electrons accelerated in an active region at the footpoint of one leg of the expanding arch of the CME. The electron stream became unstable and began emitting radio emission at about 3 solar radius, continued to emit as it passed the top of the loop at 8-9 solar radius, then stopped emitting in the downgoing leg at about 4 solar radius.

Leblanc, Y.

Outburst of Jupiter's synchrotron radiation after the impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

Jupiter's nonthermal microwave emission, as measured by a global network of 11 radio telescopes, increased dramatically during the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacts. The increase was wavelength-dependent, varying from approximately 10 percent at 70 to 90 centimeters to approximately 45 percent at 6 and 36 centimeters. The radio spectrum hardened (flattened toward shorter wavelengths) considerably during the week of impacts and continued to harden afterward. After the week of cometary impacts, the flux density began to subside at all wavelengths and was still declining 3 months later. Very Large Array and Australia Telescope images of the brightness distribution showed the enhancement to be localized in longitude and concentrated near the magnetic equator. The evidence therefore suggests that the increase in flux density was caused by a change in the resident particle population, for example, through an energization or spatial redistribution of the emitting particles.

Jupiter

Interplanetary type 3 radio bursts that approach the plasma frequency: Ulysses observations

We study a set of solar type 3 radio bursts where the emission is visible from the high-frequency limit of the radio astronomy receiver of the Ulysses Unified Radio and Plasma wave (URAP) experiment down to low frequencies, sometimes near the plasma frequency, and where Langmuir wave spikes are recorded by the radio and/or plasma receivers. Our results pose questions regarding radio emission by Langmuir waves. When Langmuir waves are observed, why is it only sometimes that radio radiation is emitted at the fundamental? Put another way, why is there often a gap or a cutoff in the radiation at a frequency well above the plasma frequency? In the few cases where the radiation at times of Langmuir wave spikes is at the harmonic, why is there no fundamental?

Hoang, S.

The complete polarization state of Io-related radio storms from Jupiter: A statistical study

We report on the complete polarization state (four Stokes parameters) as a function of both frequency and time, of Io-related radiation from Jupiter as observed with the spectropolarimeter at Nancay, France. Our observations include 37 radio storms, with events of both lefthand (LH) and righthand (RH) elliptical polarization and from all Io-related sources (A,B,C and D), plus two non-Io events. The high degree of circular polarization often observed, particularly for LH emission, is difficult to explain in terms of the standard theory of cyclotron maser radiation. The interpretation of the observations in terms of the locations of the sources in Jupiter's magnetosphere is the subject of a companion paper.

Dulk, G. A.

The magnetic field in the corona above sunspots at the eclipse of 1991 July 11

A partial solar eclipse and an X-ray image are used to study the magnetic field as a function of height in the corona above an active region during the solar eclipse of July 11, 1991. The dominant features of AR 6718 are two leading spots of positive polarity followed by two spots of negative polarity about 3 arcmin to the east. Bright radio emission coincides with the positions of the sunspots, attributable to a gyroresonance radiation from ambient electrons above the spots. A simplified model of the source as a function of frequency based on the interferometer fringe amplitudes is used to obtain brightness temperature spectra for the emission associated with the sunspots. It is deduced that the magnetic field strength at the base of the corona above the leading spots was 1200 G, and about 1100 G above the following spots. The soft X-ray brightness above the sunspots was very low, about 30 times lower than that of the adjacent plage-associated emission.

Gary, D. E.

The complete polarization state of a storm of millisecond bursts from Jupiter

Normal bursts with right-hand (RH) elliptical polarization, millisec S-bursts with RH elliptical polarization, and S-bursts with left-hand (LH) elliptical polarization, are presently observed in an extended storm of decametric radiation from Jupiter's Io-related source, 'Io-B'. This radiation was 100 percent elliptically polarized at all frequencies in the 14-31 MHz range measured. For an 80-min period, there was a mixture of RH and LH elliptically polarized S bursts in the 14-20 MHz range. An examination of the origin of a Faraday-rotation difference between RH and LH elliptical bursts suggests that some Faraday rotation occurs in the Io torus; this was traversed more centrally by the LH bursts from the southern auroral zone than the HH bursts from the northern auroral zone.

Dulk, G. A.

Uranus as a radio source

The complex nature of the Uranus radio emissions, both magnetospheric and atmospheric, is reviewed, with emphasis on the identification of distinct components and the determination of their source locations. Seven radii components were discovered in addition to the RF signature of lightning in the planet's atmosphere. Six of the seven magnetospheric components are freely propagating emissions; one component, the nonthermal continuum, is trapped in the density cavity between the magnetopause and the dense inner magnetosphere. The radio components are divided into two types according to their emission signature: bursty emission and smooth emission. The inferred source location for the dominant nightside emission is above the nightside magnetic pole, largely overlapping the UV auroral region and the magnetic polar cap. The N-burst component appears to be associated with solar-wind enhancements at Uranus, consistent with the idea that the solar wind was triggering magnetospheric substormlike activity during the encounter.

Desch, M. D.

Natural radio lasing at Jupiter

Like the comparable AKR radio emissions from earth's magnetosphere, the well-known decametric radio S-bursts from Jupiter, observed in France and Australia at frequencies from 10 to 26 MHz, have been found to exhibit equally spaced discrete spectral components which can be attributed to the adjacent longitudinal oscillation modes of natural radio lasers. Implying sizes of only a few kilometers for the individual radio lasers producing the S-bursts, the frequency spacing of these modes was roughly constant with frequency and about 30 to 50 kHz. Their corresponding temporal spacings, however, varied inversely proportional to the observing frequency, suggesting that the radio lasers producing the S-bursts were expanding uniformly at a rate of about 4 km/s. Presumably caused by the projected motion of Io with respect to the planet, this expansion of the S-burst radio lasers would account for the downward frequency drifts of the S-bursts without the energetic electron bunches which have heretofore always been assumed necessary to account for such behavior.

Calvert, W.

The solar wind control of Jupiter's broad-band kilometric radio emission

Observations of the solar wind close to Jupiter are compared with the broad-band kilometric radio emission (bKOM), using data recorded by Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 during 1979. The lower bKOM frequencies, less than about 300 kHz, are found to correlate with the solar wind density and pressure and with the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) magnitude during periods when there is a well-defined magnetic sector structure. The results suggest that lower frequency bKOM events are most likely to occur after a sector boundary has passed Jupiter during the period when the solar wind density and the IMF magnitude are increasing towards the sector center. The average bKOM energy per Jovian rotation tends to have lower values soon after the sector center has passed. Higher-frequency/higher-energy bKOM emission may be contaminated by hectometric emission (HOM) and differently correlated with solar activity. The solar wind control may also be obscured by some stronger control. It is suggested that electron density fluctuations in the Io torus, where the source is believed to be located, may be responsible for variations in the beaming and hence variations in the observed emission.

Barrow, C. H.

Planetary radio astronomy observations from Voyager 2 near Saturn

Planetary radio astronomy measurements obtained by Voyager 2 near Saturn have added further evidence that Saturnian kilometric radiation is emitted by a strong dayside source at auroral latitudes in the northern hemisphere and by a weaker source at complementary latitudes in the southern hemisphere. These emissions are variable because of Saturn's rotation and, on longer time scales, probably because of influences of the solar wind and Dione. The electrostatic discharge bursts first discovered by Voyager 1 and attributed to emissions from the B ring were again observed with the same broadband spectral properties and an episodic recurrence period of about 10 hours, but their occurrence frequency was only about 30 percent of that detected by Voyager 1. While crossing the ring plane at a distance of 2.88 Saturn radii, the spacecraft detected an intense noise event extending to above 1 megahertz and lasting about 150 seconds. The event is interpreted to be a consequence of the impact, vaporization, and ionization of charged, micrometer-size G ring particles distributed over a vertical thickness of about 1500 kilometers.

Warwick, J. W.

Planetary radio astronomy observations from Voyager-2 near Saturn

Voyager-2 planetry radio astronomy measurements obtained near Saturn are discussed. They indicate that Saturnian kilometric radiation is emitted by a strong, dayside source at auroral latitudes in the northern hemisphere and by a weaker (by more than an order of magnitude) source at complementary latitudes in the southern hemisphere. These emissions are variable both due to Saturn's rotation and, on longer time scales, probably due to influences of the solar wind and the satellite Dione. The Saturn electrostatic discharge bursts first discovered by Voyager-1 and attributed to emissions from the B-ring were again observed with the same broadband spectral properties and a 10(h)11(m) + or - 5(m) episodic recurrence period but with an occurrence frequency of only of about 30 percent of that detected with Voyager-1. During the crossing of the ring plane at a distance of 2.88 R sub S, an intense noise event is interpreted to be consequence of the impact/vaporization/ionization of charged micron-size G-ring particles distributed over a total vertical thickness of about 1500 km.

Warwick, J. W.

Arc structure in Saturn's radio dynamic spectra

It is pointed out that one of the most spectacular findings of the Voyager 1 planetary radio astronomy experiment (PRA) was the discovery of nested arc-like structures in the dynamic spectra of Jupiter's decametric emission. These arcs have curvature in either a direction towards increasing or decreasing time. Similar arc structures are also evident in Saturn kilometric radiation. These structures appear superimposed on the strong intensity modulation which is controlled by the rotation of the planet and on fast and narrow band fluctuations which give a very large variability to the PRA observations on a 6-s, 20-kHz scale. The characteristics of the arcs are examined and compared with the arc structure in Jupiter. The similarities between Saturn's and Jupiter's arc structures are found to imply that they are probably due to the same physical mechanism.

Boischot, A.

Coronal density structures in regions of type III activity

The density of the corona over the active regions generating the type III exciters are examined, taking into account radio data together with daily white light coronal observations obtained with a K-coronameter. The intensity profiles and the synoptic maps derived from the K-corona data make it possible to distinguish between dense structures and low intensity regions. A deconvolution technique developed by Leblanc et al. (1970) is applied to calculate the electron density of these structures. For the low intensity regions van de Hulst's (1950) method has been used to compute the electron density of models.

Leblanc, Y.