Force Balance in Saturn's Equatorial Ring Current

Details Force Balance in Saturn's Equatorial Ring Current Force Balance in Saturn's Equatorial Ring Current

Dec 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmsm23a1924r&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #SM23A-1924

Physics

[2721] Magnetospheric Physics / Field-Aligned Currents And Current Systems, [2730] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetosphere: Inner, [2778] Magnetospheric Physics / Ring Current, [6275] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Saturn

Scientific paper

Measurements of Saturn’s magnetic field show a negative perturbation of the theta component in the near-equatorial magnetosphere inside of 15 RS, a characteristic signature of a ring current. A sinusoidal perturbation near the planetary rotation period is superimposed on the field depression associated with the ring current, giving evidence of a rotating asymmetric ring current. Using magnetic field and plasma data from the Cassini spacecraft, we demonstrate that the plasma carrying the ring current extends inward to at least 6 RS. We test radial force balance in the symmetric ring current by calculating magnetic pressure gradient, particle pressure gradient, curvature, and inertial forces from in situ measurements. Since the asymmetric ring current is a persistent feature of the inner magnetosphere we test whether it is the remote signature of an asymmetric current system lying beyond ~9RS, as has been suggested previously, or is, at least to some extent, locally generated inside of that distance, finding some evidence of local sources.

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