Preliminary Interpretation of Titan Plasma Interaction as Observed by the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer: Comparisons With Voyager 1

Details Preliminary Interpretation of Titan Plasma Interaction as Observed by the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer: Comparisons With Voyager 1 Preliminary Interpretation of Titan Plasma Interaction as Observed by the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer: Comparisons With Voyager 1

May 2005

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005agusm.p33a..04h&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2005, abstract #P33A-04

Physics

5719 Interactions With Particles And Fields, 5749 Origin And Evolution, 5780 Tori And Exospheres, 6050 Plasma And Mhd Instabilities, 6280 Saturnian Satellites

Scientific paper

The Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) instrument made measurements of Titan's plasma environment when the Cassini Orbiter flew through the moon's plasma wake October 26, 2004 (flyby TA) and December 13, 2004 (flyby TB). Preliminary CAPS ion and electron measurements from these encounters (1, 2) are compared with measurements made by the Voyager I Plasma Science Instrument (PLS). The comparisons are used to evaluate previous interpretations and predictions of the Titan plasma environment that have been made using PLS measurements (3, 4). The plasma wake trajectories of flybys TA, TB and Voyager 1are similar because they occurred when Titan was near Saturn's local noon. These similarities make possible direct, meaningful comparisons between the various plasma wake measurements. The inquiries stimulated by the previous interpretations and predictions made using PLS data have produced the following results from the CAPS ion measurements: A) The major ambient ion components of Saturn's rotating magnetosphere in the vicinity of Titan are H+, H2+, and O+. B) Finite gyroradius effects are apparent in ambient O+ as the result of its interaction with Titan's atmosphere. C) The principal pickup ions are composed of H+, H2+, CH4+ and N2+. D) There is clear evidence of slowing down of the ambient plasma due to pickup ion mass loading; and, as the "ionopause" is approached, heavier pickup ions such as N2+ become dominant. The similarities and differences between the magnitudes and structures of the electron densities and temperatures along the three flyby trajectories are described. 1. D. T. Young et al. (2004), Eos Trans. AGU, 85(47), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract P41B-07. 2. A. J. Coates et al. (2004), Eos Trans. AGU, 85(47), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract P53A-1451. 3. R. E. Hartle et al., J. Geophys. Res., 87, 1383, 1982. 4. E. C. Sittler et al., Titan Symposium Proceedings, ESTEC, Editor, Jean-Pierre Lebreton, 2004.

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