Determine the physical origin of the active-field-line variability

Determine whether the rotation-to-rotation variability of the active magnetic field line in LSPM J0036+1821 is driven by external modulation from a companion, intrinsic magnetospheric dynamics, or geometrical changes in the ECMI emission pattern.

Background

The observed anticorrelated evolution of the right- and left-circularly polarized radio peaks can be reproduced by changes in the ECMI cone half-opening angle or in the longitude of the active field line. A companion analogous to Io could produce such changes through orbital motion, but alternative explanations include corotation structures, non-axisymmetric magnetic fields, and anisotropic or non-axisymmetric emission geometry. The available data do not distinguish among these possibilities.

References

Future broadband and multi-epoch radio campaigns will be essential to disentangle these scenarios and determine whether the observed variability is driven by external modulation (e.g., companion), intrinsic magnetospheric dynamics or geometrical configurations.

— A Jupiter-like radio aurora in the L3.5 dwarf LSPM J0036+1821  (2610.09854 - Martín-Carrero et al., 7 Oct 2026) in Section 5.3, Origin of the Active Field Line; Section 6, Conclusions

Additional observations are required to determine whether the variability exhibits a periodic pattern and to constrain its physical origin.

— A Jupiter-like radio aurora in the L3.5 dwarf LSPM J0036+1821  (2610.09854 - Martín-Carrero et al., 7 Oct 2026) in Section 6, Conclusions