Long-Term And/Or Seasonal Variation of Suprathermal O2+ and N2+ at Saturn

Details Long-Term And/Or Seasonal Variation of Suprathermal O2+ and N2+ at Saturn Long-Term And/Or Seasonal Variation of Suprathermal O2+ and N2+ at Saturn

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsm21b2024c&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SM21B-2024

Physics

Plasma Physics

[5465] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Rings And Dust, [6265] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Planetary Rings, [6280] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Saturnian Satellites, [7807] Space Plasma Physics / Charged Particle Motion And Acceleration

Scientific paper

The suprathermal minor heavy ion groups O2+ and 28M+ (mixed N2+ and/or CO+) at~32 and ~28 amu/e, respectively, exhibit long-term spatial-temporal variations in Saturn's magnetosphere at ~3-20 Rs from 2004 to 2011. These ~83-167 keV/e ions are the second most abundant ion groups heavier than the water group W+ (O+, OH+, H2O+, and H3O+) measured by the Cassini CHEMS ion spectrometer. O2+ declines by order of ~6-7 relative to W+ from mid-2004 until equinox in mid-2009 and then remains relatively constant. 28M+, initially ~5 times less abundant than O2+, declines by order of ~2 relative to W+ until early-2007 and then remains at lower values with significant variation. After late-2009 28M+/O2+ is ~0.5. The declining O2+ and 28M+ flux occurs as ring plane illumination decreases approaching Saturn's equinox. The main ring atmosphere/ ionosphere is the most likely primary source for the O2+. Titan, Enceladus, Rhea, and the E-ring are candidate sources for the 28M+. Neither O2+ nor 28M+ has begun recovery by mid-2011, arguing for reduced levels this Saturn season. Transition from higher/declining to lower/persistent levels suggests multiple competing components for both ion groups, that is, one component, probably ring-insolation related, is initially dominant and decreases gradually to be masked later by a lower-level component. The relation of the ions' flux generation and modulation by Saturn's moons and rings is addressed.

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