Detection of Exomoons Through Observation of Radio Emissions

Abstract

In the Jupiter-Io system, the moon's motion produces currents along the field lines that connect it to Jupiter's polar regions. The currents generate, and modulate radio emissions along their paths via the electron-cyclotron maser instability. Based on this process, we suggest that such modulation of planetary radio emissions may reveal the presence of exomoons around giant planets in exoplanetary systems. A model explaining the modulation mechanism in the Jupiter-Io system is extrapolated, and used to define criteria for exomoon detectability. A cautiously optimistic scenario of possible detection of such exomoons around Epsilon Eridani b, and Gliese 876 b is provided.

12 pages. 2 figures. Accepted for publication at APJ

References in corpus (4)

• Predicting low-frequency radio fluxes of known extrasolar planets
• Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Hot Jupiter Upper Atmospheres
• Habitability of Earth-type Planets and Moons in the Kepler-16 System
• On the Possibility of Habitable Moons in the System of HD 23079: Results from Orbital Stability Studies

Cited by in corpus (27)

• Evidence for a Large Exomoon Orbiting Kepler-1625b
• Formation, Habitability, and Detection of Extrasolar Moons
• No Evidence for Lunar Transit in New Analysis of Hubble Space Telescope Observations of the Kepler-1625 System
• Solar System Physics for Exoplanet Research
• How Expanded Ionospheres of Hot Jupiters Can Prevent Escape of Radio Emission Generated by the Cyclotron Maser Instability
• Exomoons in the habitable zones of M dwarfs
• CHEOPS performance for exomoons: The detectability of exomoons by using optimal decision algorithm
• Predictable patterns in planetary transit timing variations and transit duration variations due to exomoons
• Orbital Stability of Exomoons and Submoons with Applications to Kepler 1625b-I
• On the radio detection of multiple-exomoon systems due to plasma torus sharing
• Origin and Stability of Exomoon Atmospheres - Implications for Habitability
• On The Feasibility of Exomoon Detection Via Exoplanet Phase Curve Spectral Contrast
• Radio Emission from Red-Giant Hot Jupiters
• Exoplanet Transits with Next-Generation Radio Telescopes
• Formation of Exomoons: A Solar System Perspective
• uGMRT observations of the hot-Saturn WASP 69b: Radio-Loud Exoplanet-Exomoon Survey II (RLEES II)
• On the Detection of Extrasolar Moons and Rings
• Stability and detectability of exomoons orbiting HIP 41378 f, a temperate Jovian planet with an anomalously low apparent density
• Search for exoplanets and brown dwarfs with VLBI
• Exomoons in Systems with a Strong Perturber: Applications to $\alpha$ Cen AB
• Transit Light-curves for Exomoons: Analytical Formalism
• Search for radio emission from the exoplanets Qatar-1b and WASP-80b near 150 MHz using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope
• Climatological and UV-based Habitability of Possible Exomoons in F-star Systems
• Updated Studies on Exomoons in the HD 23079 System
• The "Drake equation" of exomoons -- a cascade of formation, stability and detection
• Infrared-Radio-follow-up Observations for Detection of the Magnetic Radio Emission of Extra-Solar Planets: A New Window to Detect Exoplanets
• Search for possible exomoons with FAST telescope