X-ray Emissions from the Jovian System

Abstract

X-ray emissions from Jupiter, discovered by Einstein observatory and followed up by ROSAT, have been thought to be excited by energetic and highly charged sulphur and oxygen ions precipitating from the inner magnetosphere into the planet's polar regions. However, recent observations by Chandra telescope have revealed surprising new results, including mysterious pulsating (period ~45 minutes) x-ray hot spot in the northern polar regoins of Jupiter, that have called into equstion our understanding of Jovian auroral x-rays Further, x-rays from the moons of Jupiter - Io, Europea, and probably Ganymede and from the Io plasma torus have been discovered by the Chandra observatory. This paper presents a brief review of the x-ray emissions from the Jupiter, the Galilean satellites and the Io plasma torus.