Determine the origin of transient Jovian gas and plasma emission enhancements

Determine the origin of transient enhancements in gas and plasma emissions in the Jovian system, using observations of S II, O II, O I, Na I, K I, and other relevant species to clarify the processes responsible for these events.

Background

The paper describes the magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn as environments supplied with neutral gas and plasma by geophysically active moons. At Jupiter, Io supplies oxygen and sulfur through sublimation and volcanic activity, with Na and K serving as tracers of this mass transport.

Although transient enhancements in gas and plasma emissions have been observed in the Jovian system, their physical origin is unresolved. The proposed WALTzER observations are intended to map and monitor multiple ionic and neutral species, complementing close-range observations by ESA’s Juice and NASA’s Europa Clipper missions.

References

Although usually stable, transient enhancements in gas and plasma emissions have been observed, but their origin remains unclear.

— WALTzER: Wide-band Atmospheric Laboratory for Transiting Exoplanet Research  (2610.21705 - Sreejith et al., 15 Oct 2026) in Section 2.2.2, “Active bodies in the Solar System”