High resolution spectral analyses of the Jovian decametric radiation. I. Burst morphology and drift rates

Morphological analyses of high resolution spectral recordings of Jovian decametric radiation show a regime of phenomena not seen at lower resolutions. Observed emissions range from narrowband (50 kHz) simple quasiperiodic bursts to wideband emissions (extending over a 500 kHz passband) exhibiting complex structural detail. Assuming gyroemission from electrons in a dipole field for which the magnetic moment is 10 Gauss R_J³, drift rate measurements of the bursts indicate that the source size is of the order of 600 km and its location is near R = 1.3 R_J at a colatitude of 27.3°. The measurements suggest that the emitting electrons belong to a population having a very specific equatorial pitch angle near 3.5°. This study concludes that it may be possible to verify gyroemission as the mechanism responsible for the decametric radiation.