Modeling the Forces in Saturn's Warped Magnetodisc

Details Modeling the Forces in Saturn's Warped Magnetodisc Modeling the Forces in Saturn's Warped Magnetodisc

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsm11a2002a&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SM11A-2002

Physics

[2756] Magnetospheric Physics / Planetary Magnetospheres, [5737] Planetary Sciences: Fluid Planets / Magnetospheres, [6275] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Saturn

Scientific paper

Observations from the Cassini spacecraft have established that Saturn's outer magnetospheric current sheet does not generally lie in the planet's rotational equatorial plane. Previous analyses have revealed that the current sheet adopted a 'bowl-like' shape, swept northwards of the equator, during the Cassini prime mission (southern solstice). The present work describes preliminary steps towards quantifying the relationship between solar wind dynamic pressure, planetary dipole tilt, and the shape of the near-noon current sheet. We examine a simple model of magnetopause currents within systems where the planetary dipole / rotation axis is oriented at 70 degrees (solstice) and 90 degrees (equinox) to the upstream flow direction of the solar wind. We model the sheet current using the UCL Magnetodisc Model, and treat the 'shielding' due to the magnetopause currents as a first-order perturbation to a 'planar disc' configuration. The different symmetry planes of the magnetopause and plasmadisc in the solstice model produce a corresponding north-south asymmetry in this perturbation, and in the total magnetic field. We show model predictions for varying dipole orientations and magnetopause sizes, and comment on the potential application of using observed magnetic signatures of current sheet displacement (relative to the equator) as an independent probe of solar wind pressure.

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