Cassini plasma spectrometer thermal ion measurements in Saturn's inner magnetosphere

Details Cassini plasma spectrometer thermal ion measurements in Saturn's inner magnetosphere Cassini plasma spectrometer thermal ion measurements in Saturn's inner magnetosphere

Dec 2008

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008jgra..11312218w&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 113, Issue A12, CiteID A12218

Physics

40

Magnetospheric Physics: Planetary Magnetospheres (5443, 5737, 6033), Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetosphere: Inner, Planetary Sciences: Fluid Planets: Magnetospheres (2756), Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetospheric Configuration And Dynamics

Scientific paper

Plasma data from the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer experiment are analyzed using a robust forward modeling technique for dayside equatorial orbits within the range 5.5 to 11 Saturn radii (1 RS = 60,268 km). It is assumed the measured ion data may be represented by two anisotropic Maxwellian distributed species, H+ and a water group ion, W+. Saturn's magnetospheric plasma is shown to subcorotate by 15-30% below rigid corotation within this region, with a minimum in fractional lag between 7 and 9 RS. There is a suggestion of a small radial outflow, but the selection of data for this study precluded the inclusion of interchange injection events. Ion densities are in excellent agreement with the Cassini plasma wave instrument, giving confidence in the forward modeling technique. Plasma moments including density, temperatures, and velocities are presented, along with empirical models for density and azimuthal velocity. Water group temperature anisotropies T $\perp$ /T $\parallel$ have values between 3 and 8 near 5.5 RS, becoming less anisotropic as distance increases, but are still not isotropic by 10 RS. The implications of these results for mass loading in the Saturnian magnetosphere are discussed, with the conclusion that an important fraction of the plasma source is located inside of the 5.5 RS boundary of this study.

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