Hybrid simulation of moon-magnetosphere interactions at Saturn: Titan and Dione

Details Hybrid simulation of moon-magnetosphere interactions at Saturn: Titan and Dione Hybrid simulation of moon-magnetosphere interactions at Saturn: Titan and Dione

Dec 2008

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agufm.p31c..06s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2008, abstract #P31C-06

Physics

2732 Magnetosphere Interactions With Satellites And Rings, 2753 Numerical Modeling, 6275 Saturn, 6280 Saturnian Satellites, 6281 Titan

Scientific paper

The interaction of Saturn's moons Titan and Dione with the corotating magnetospheric plasma has been studied by using a three-dimensional hybrid simulation model (kinetic ions and a charge-neutralizing electron fluid). In the case of Titan, the satellite's dense ionosphere represents the major obstacle for the impinging plasma flow. In this presentation, we shall focus on Titan's plasma interaction during the Cassini T32 encounter. During this flyby, the moon left Saturn's magnetosphere in the subsolar region of its orbit and interacted with the shocked solar wind plasma in Saturn's magnetosheath. The magnetic field direction almost reversed during the flyby. The density and temperature of the impinging plasma flow showed dramatic changes as well. By means of real-time simulations, it is illustrated how Titan's plasma environment is affected by such disruptive changes in the upstream conditions. Magnetic field observations during the only Cassini flyby in 2005 reveal some hints towards the existence of a tenuous atmosphere around Saturn's third-largest moon Dione. In our simulation study, we consider the case of a completely inert obstacle as well as the inclusion of a weak ionosphere around Dione. The overall topology of the interaction region is discussed as a function of the total mass-loading rate. We also estimate the mass-loading rate which is suitable for explaining Cassini MAG observations near Dione.

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