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Published August 28, 2021 | Published
Book Section - Chapter Open

Exoplanets and Radio Astronomy Beyond Earth

Abstract

Jupiter's radio emission has been linked to its planetary-scale magnetic field, and spacecraft investigations have revealed that most planets, and some moons, have or had a global magnetic field. Generated by internal dynamos, magnetic fields are one of the few remote sensing means of constraining the properties of planetary interiors. For the Earth, its magnetic field has been speculated to be partially responsible for its habitability, and knowledge of an extrasolar planet's magnetic field may be necessary to assess its habitability. The radio emission from Jupiter and other solar system planets is produced by an electron cyclotron maser, and detections of extrasolar planetary electron cyclotron masers will enable measurements of extrasolar planetary magnetic fields. Key advances would include the ground-based detection of the radio emission from Jovian-mass planets and laying the technological foundations for space-based detections of the radio emissions from lower-mass planets.

Additional Information

© 2020. California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged. It is a pleasure and privilege to thank the many colleagues who have aided my understanding of planetary magnetic fields, planetary radio emissions, and the possibilities for (and challenges of) future space missions. Part of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Some of the information in this paper is pre-decisional and for planning and discussion purposes only.

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