Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006agufmsm23a0287s&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2006, abstract #SM23A-0287
Physics
2720 Energetic Particles: Trapped, 2778 Ring Current, 5443 Magnetospheres (2756), 5737 Magnetospheres (2756), 6033 Magnetospheres (2756)
Scientific paper
The Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI) on the Cassini spacecraft performed comprehensive measurements of the energetic ion population within the magnetosphere of the planet since July 1, 2004. Observations of energetic ion directional intensities, energy spectra, and ion composition were provided by the Charge-Energy-Mass-Spectrometer (CHEMS) over the range ~3 to 220 keV per charge and by the bidirectional Low Energy Magnetospheric Measurements System (LEMMS) that measures ions in the range 0.024 < E < 18 Mev and electrons 0.015< E < 0.884 Mev in the forward direction. This work reports preliminary results of particle pressure distributions throughout the equatorial magnetosphere and comparison to in situ measurements of the magnetic field provided by the MAG instrument. The results cover 11 passes from the period day 265, 2005 to 182, 2006 when the spacecraft orbit was particularly close to the nominal magnetic equator in the range 5< R< 20 Rs, and can be summarized as follows: (1) the beta (particle pressure/magnetic pressure) profile increases radially outward to maximum values of > 1 at L > 10 Rs; (2) most particle pressure is contained in the energy range of 10 < E < 150 keV; (3) in the highest beta region 10 < L <15, where the apparent ring current resides, oxygen generally contributes more than 50% of the total pressure, while at larger L values protons appear to be dominant; (4) within the local time sampled to date (06-24h) the maxima in beta lie past local midnight toward dusk. Statistical results, sample orbits, spectra, and composition profiles will be presented and the results discussed in the context of existing models.
Dougherty Michele
Hamilton Douglas C.
Krimigis Stamatios M.
Krupp Norbert
Mauk B. M.
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