Jupiter's distant environment

Abstract

Qualitative features of the distant Jovian magnetosphere which have been noted previously are reviewed. These features include the highly deformable or spongy nature of the outer regions, the temporal variability of the middle magnetosphere, the presence of a near-equatorial ring current sheet from about 30 Jupiter radii to the magnetopause and the regular oscillation of particle and field properties associated with planetary rotation. We next add evidence for the persistent presence of a layer of magnetic turbulence in the portion of the magnetosphere just inside the magnetopause and we examine its properties. The importance of the presence of the turbulent layer to theoretical models of the magnetosphere is stressed.