Interaction of the Saturnian Magnetospheric Plasma with Titan's Ionosphere: Formation of a Ionopause

Details Interaction of the Saturnian Magnetospheric Plasma with Titan's Ionosphere: Formation of a Ionopause Interaction of the Saturnian Magnetospheric Plasma with Titan's Ionosphere: Formation of a Ionopause

Dec 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001agufm.p12c0507b&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2001, abstract #P12C-0507

Physics

2459 Planetary Ionospheres (5435, 5729, 6026, 6027, 6028), 2780 Solar Wind Interactions With Unmagnetized Bodies, 5435 Ionospheres (2459), 6280 Saturnian Satellites

Scientific paper

The interaction of Titan with the ambient plasma has many faces since the determining parameters (ionospheric composition and ambient plasma properties) vary substantially in time. The main ionization source for Titan's ionosphere is the solar EUV radiation. Thus, the nightside ionosphere differs completely from the dayside ionosphere. The magnetospheric plasma in the plasma mantle is highly variable in time. Apart from that, depending on the solar wind pressure Titan can cross the Saturnian magnetopause and interact with the magnetosheath plasma or the supersonic solar wind. We present the results of a 3D MHD simulation with photoionization as the only source of ionization. Ion-neutral friction and mass loading are included. The ambient plasma parameters are similar to those measured by Voyager 1. In this case the ionospheric ion density is high enough to form an ionospheric current system that shields Titan from the Saturnian magnetic field i.e. an ionopause is formed. We discuss the 3D structure of the ionopause observed in our simulation.

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