Cassini Measurements of Solar Wind Near Saturn

Details Cassini Measurements of Solar Wind Near Saturn Cassini Measurements of Solar Wind Near Saturn

May 2005

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005agusmsm13a..05s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2005, abstract #SM13A-05

Physics

2102 Corotating Streams, 2164 Solar Wind Plasma, 2784 Solar Wind/Magnetosphere Interactions

Scientific paper

In situ studies of Saturn's magnetosphere from Cassini do not enjoy the benefit of simultaneous measurements of the solar wind immediately upstream. In lieu of such measurements, it will be highly valuable to quantify the typical range and the variability of solar wind conditions near Saturn. The Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) includes a detector called the Ion Beam Spectrometer (IBS), which is optimized for measuring solar wind protons and alpha particles. Solar wind measurements have been obtained with IBS during some extended intervals, including much of January 2004 during the approach to Saturn, as well as in late July through late September 2004, during the first apoapsis. The solar wind observed thus far is characterized by corotating interaction regions (CIRs) separating fast and slow streams. For example a forward shock on July 25, 2004 heralded the arrival of a CIR that lasted until August 1, 2004. It has been reported elsewhere that the solar wind ram pressure is a primary controlling parameter for Saturn's aurora. A preliminary look suggests that the peak ram pressures seen so far are found in association with the compressed solar wind inside CIRs. We will present the Cassini solar wind measurements made thus far, and discuss the general character of the solar wind near Saturn.

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