A baseline spectroscopic study of the infrared Auroras of Jupiter

We present the results of a spectroscopic study of the H⁺₃infrared emissions of Jupiter, obtained using the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, during May 3-5, 1993. Although we have obtained data from the whole of the planet, in this paper we concentrate on the auroral regions. Derived H⁺₃temperatures for these vary between 700 and 1000 K, and column densities are of the order of 10¹²cm^-2. There is a strong (anti-)correlation between these parameters, however, that requires the introduction of new variables to characterize the jovian auroras fully. The total H⁺₃auroral emission is presented as a function of central meridian longitude. A simple geometric model of this emission does not describe the data adequately. The integrated infrared auroral emission in each hemisphere is of the order of a few × 10¹²W, making it comparable to auroral output in the ultraviolet.