Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006agufm.p23e0119g&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2006, abstract #P23E-0119
Physics
0343 Planetary Atmospheres (5210, 5405, 5704), 2431 Ionosphere/Magnetosphere Interactions (2736), 2732 Magnetosphere Interactions With Satellites And Rings, 2784 Solar Wind/Magnetosphere Interactions
Scientific paper
The Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS), Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS), Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) and Charge Energy Mass Spectrometer (CHEMS) aboard the Cassini spacecraft have all revealed the existence of a tenuous atmosphere and an ionosphere/plasma in the vicinity of Saturn's ring system. Specifically detected were O+ and O2+ ions above and below Saturn's A and B rings. The large yields of O+ and O2+ were unexpected and solar ultraviolet ionization of gas phase neutrals has been suggested as the source of these ions. The presence of such a large number density of molecular oxygen necessary to support the photoionization hypothesis also implies the production and release of significant amounts of atomic and molecular hydrogen. Indeed, the presence of H+ and H2+, as well as water-group ions, such as OH+, H2O+ and H3O+ were also detected. However, these ions are not dominant and are conspicuously missing in the regions dominated by the oxygen ions. A detailed series of experiments on the role of nonthermal processes such as vacuum ultraviolet (121 nm) photodesorption and electron stimulated desorption from condensed-phase mixed ices and grain surfaces/interfaces in the formation and redistribution of atomic and molecular hydrogen and oxygen in Saturn's ring system is presented.
Grieves G.
Johnson Robert E.
Orlando Thomas M.
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