Cassini/RPWS Dust Measurements During E3 and E4 Flybys

Statistics – Computation

Scientific paper

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5759 Rings And Dust, 6280 Saturnian Satellites

Scientific paper

The Cassini spacecraft completed two very close flybys of Enceladus on days 072 and 224, 2008. Both flybys were designed to pass through the water vapor plume near the south pole of this tiny but energetic moon. At closest approach, the spacecraft was merely 50 kilometers away from the surface. The Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) instrument on board the spacecraft obtained a great opportunity to measure the parameters of micron-sized particles in the plume. As the spacecraft approached the water plume, the RPWS dipole antenna started recording impulses indicating dust impacts on the spacecraft. The peak impact rate is about 500/s and the corresponding number density is about 5.7 × 10-2 m-3. The dust particles are thought to have radii of about 1 to 10 micrometers, which is within the RPWS sensitivity range. Some saturation effects occurred near the peak flux that complicates the analysis in this region. In this presentation we will discuss the variation of dust flux as a function of distance from the south pole of Enceladus, the mass and size distribution, and the optical depth computations.

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