Plasma Sources in Saturn’s Inner Magnetosphere

Details Plasma Sources in Saturn’s Inner Magnetosphere Plasma Sources in Saturn’s Inner Magnetosphere

Dec 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufmsm31d..06b&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #SM31D-06

Physics

[2756] Magnetospheric Physics / Planetary Magnetospheres, [5737] Planetary Sciences: Fluid Planets / Magnetospheres, [6280] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Saturnian Satellites

Scientific paper

In order to examine plasma sources in Saturn’s inner magnetosphere, ion data from the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) were examined for all orbits from 25 Oct. 2004 through 26 Dec. 2007. Only equatorial data (Kronographic latitude within 10° of the equator) were considered. To eliminate effects of incomplete angular coverage, data were only used from the CAPS anode that was closest to viewing into the corotational flow and within 20° of that flow. Plots of energy vs. L-shell at the corotation energy for water group ions indicate a broad source region encompassing the E-ring (3 to 10 Rs) with additional prominent peaks near the orbits of Enceladus and Tethys and hints of less prominent peaks near the orbits of Dione and Rhea as shown in Figure 1. Plots of counts vs. L-shell and local time at the corotation energy show a broad maximum across the day and dusk sides suggesting an influence of ionospheric conductivity. It is shown that the data are consistent with an expanding neutral cloud from the Enceladus torus that is ionized primarily by charge exchange inside 5 Rs and primarily by charged particle collisions outside 5 Rs, which is also shown to be the approximate inward boundary of interchange injections. Total ion counts vs. radial distance at the water-group corotation energy for all local times sampled. Data are selected only within 10° of the Kronographic equator and only for the CAPS angular channel viewing closest to the corotational flow but always within 20° of that flow.

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