Discovery of Diffuse Hard X-ray Emission around Jupiter with Suzaku

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of diffuse hard X-ray emission around Jupiter using Suzaku, suggesting non-thermal electron processes in Jupiter's radiation belts or Io Plasma Torus, with implications for understanding Jovian space environment.

Contribution

First detection of diffuse hard X-ray emission around Jupiter, analyzing its origin and ruling out certain emission mechanisms based on spectral and energetic considerations.

Findings

Diffuse X-ray emission is spatially associated with radiation belts and Io Plasma Torus.

The emission has a flat power-law spectrum with photon index ~1.4.

Inverse-Compton scattering could explain the emission but requires higher electron density than models suggest.

Abstract

We report the discovery of diffuse hard (1-5 keV) X-ray emission around Jupiter in a deep 160 ks Suzaku XIS data. The emission is distributed over ~16x8 Jovian radius and spatially associated with the radiation belts and the Io Plasma Torus. It shows a flat power-law spectrum with a photon index of 1.4+/-0.2 with the 1-5 keV X-ray luminosity of (3.3+/-0.5)x10^15 erg/s. We discussed its origin and concluded that it seems to be truly diffuse, although a possibility of multiple background point sources can not be completely rejected with a limited angular resolution. If it is diffuse, the flat continuum indicates that X-rays arise by the non-thermal electrons in the radiation belts and/or the Io Plasma Torus. The synchrotron and bremsstrahlung models can be rejected from the necessary electron energy and X-ray spectral shape, respectively. The inverse-Compton scattering off solar photons by ultra-relativistic (several tens MeV) electrons can explain the energy and the spectrum but the necessary electron density is >~10 times larger than the value estimated from the empirical model of Jovian charge particles.