1.3 centimeter wavelength interferometric study of Jupiter

Maps of the brightness distribution of Jupiter at 1.3 cm wavelength are reported for the two orthogonal linear plarizations: one approximately parallel to the equator and one approximately parallel to the pole. The synthesized beam is 6''.0 x 12''.0, which provides about 55 picture elements over the visible disk. The two maps do not differ significantly. There are no small real features of the size of one resolution element with brightness greater than 6 K. The disk brightness is approximately uniform, which is consistent with saturated ammonia vapor as the source of opacity in the atmosphere. Uniformly mixed ammonia, molecular hydrogen, and methane are strongly excluded as major sources of the opacity. Forcing the maps to have symmetry about the pole, as expected for the rapidly rotating planet, reduces the residual noise level in the maps so that there appears to be a small amount of limb darkening along the equator and a small amount of brightening at the poles