Modeling of the longitudinal modulation of the Io interaction

The Io interaction with the Jovian magnetosphere is the best known case of moon-magnetosphere interaction. It leads to bright emissions from radio to UV, which are mostly due to the acceleration of electrons by Alfvén waves along the magnetic field lines passing Io. We previously presented a model of the electron acceleration by the Iogenic Alfvén waves, which explains the average brightness of the emissions. We now present a study of the modulation of the Io-magnetosphere interaction with longitude, and compare our results with the observed brightness modulation of the auroral emissions. This study highlights how the satellite-magnetosphere interactions depend on the variation of the magnetic field, the equatorial plasma density,... A new model of the Jovian internal magnetic field, giving an accurate description of the longitudinal modulations of the Jovian magnetic field has been computed for this study, and is also presented.