Electromagnetic noise and radio wave propagation below 100 kHz in the Jovian atmosphere 1. The equatorial region

The Galileo satellite program includes the delivery of an entry probe to the Jovian equatorial atmosphere in mid‐1985. Optical and RF sensors for a lightning detection system are included as a part of the probe experimental payload. In this paper we present calculations of the RF wave propagation and reflection characteristics of the equatorial Jovian atmosphere and ionosphere for frequencies less than 100 kHz. We show that the wave propagation is limited to line‐of‐sight and one‐hop from the ionosphere. We also present results of a statistical treatment of the RF wave power densities for the case of a finite number of events and for the case of a uniformly distributed source. The results can be applied to specific RF experiment configurations concerned with establishing the statistical characteristics of Jovian lightning.