A high-resolution study of Jupiter at a frequency of 30 GHz

We present the results of our study of Jupiter and its radiation belts with a resolution of 6 arcsec at a frequency of 30 GHz using the RATAN-600 radio telescope and a MRS matrix radiometer with a sensitivity of about 6 mK s(-1/2). We monitored the integrated emission from the Jovian disk with a signal-to-noise ratio of more than 1000 for 30 days and showed its radio emission to be highly stable (approximate to 1%). Based on daily data for the one-dimensional radio brightness distribution over the disk, we mapped the longitudinal radio brightness distribution over 100 rotation periods of Jupiter around its axis. Neither hot nor cold spots with a temperature contrast of more than I K were detected; their contribution to the total radio flux from the Jovian disk was no more than 0.2%. The one-dimensional latitudinal (longitude-averaged) distribution obtained on VLA with a similar resolution is shown to be an order of magnitude less uniform than the one-dimensional longitudinal (latitude-averaged) distribution obtained on RATAN-600. We have studied the radiation belts at such high frequencies for the first time and estimated their intensities and variability levels under the effect of external factors. The variable component of the radiation belts was shown to have not exceeded 0.5% of the integrated spectrum of Jupiter over the entire period of its observations. We estimated the contribution of the Galilean satellites ("Galilean noise") in low-resolution observations; the accuracy of allowing for this noise is determined by the accuracy of estimating the temperatures of the satellites at the observing frequency. The uncertainty in the total flux does not exceed 0.1%. (C) 2004 MAIK "Nauka/Interperiodica".