RIPPLING CURRENT SHEET GENERATED BY MAGNETODISK RECONNECTION ON JUPITER
The Jovian magnetodisk deviates from the geographical equator and is distributed close to the magnetic equator. The location and motion of the magnetodisk are vital parameters for studying the magnetospheric dynamics and the coupling with the ionosphere. The primary motion of the magnetodisk is rotating with Jupiter as the tilted magnetic dipole axis rotates about the planetary spin axis. Additionally, small-scale flapping-like motions are observed in the magnetodisk, although the mechanism behind these motions remains unclear. In this study, we find that when magnetic reconnection occurs, the magnetodisk current sheet behaves as a kink-like wave when crossing the spacecraft. The spacecraft then crosses the current sheet repeatedly and records multiple reconnection signals during one rotation period. These observations suggest that the multiple magnetic reconnection sites break the magnetodisk field lines, causing the current sheet to become a rippling-like structure, which also rotates with the magnetosphere.
Prof. Ruilong Guo is a Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Space Science and Technology, Shandong University. He has been recognized with several prestigious awards including the national young talent program, Shandong Outstanding Youth Fund, and Taishan Young Scholar. He earned his Ph.D. in Space Physics from Peking University in 2016. His groundbreaking research in planetary space physics includes the first proposal and confirmation of dayside magnetodisk magnetic reconnection at giant planets, published in Nature Astronomy, which overcame limitations of traditional theories. With over 80 SCI publications in journals including Nature Astronomy, Nature Communications, ApJL, and GRL, he also served as associate editor for the Chinese translation of "Introduction to Space Weather" (《太空天气入门》). He has led 5 national and ministerial-level projects and 2 industry collaborations. Currently, he serves as Vice Chair of the Planetary Physics Committee of the Chinese Geophysical Society, Member of the Youth Working Committee of the Chinese Society of Space Research, and Youth Editorial Board Member of Earth and Planetary Physics.