HR: 10:20h
AN: P52A-01 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Magnetospheric interaction with Saturn's icy satellites
AU: Mitchell, D G
EM: donald.g.mitchell@jhuapl.edu
AF: Applied Physics Lab, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd., Laurel, MD 20723 United States
AU: * Paranicas, C
EM: chris.paranicas@jhuapl.edu
AF: Applied Physics Lab, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd., Laurel, MD 20723 United States
AU: Krimigis, S M
EM: Tom.Krimigis@jhuapl.edu
AF: Applied Physics Lab, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd., Laurel, MD 20723 United States
AU: Dougherty, M
EM: m.dougherty@ic.ac.uk
AF: Imperial College, Blackett Lab, London, SW72BZ United Kingdom
AU: Young, D
EM: dyoung@swri.org
AF: Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Rd., San Antonio, TX 78228 United States
AU: Crary, F
EM: fcrary@swri.org
AF: Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Rd., San Antonio, TX 78228 United States
AU: Kurth, W S
EM: william-kurth@uiowa.edu
AF: University of Iowa, 210 Van Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242 United States
AU: Gurnett, D A
EM: donald-gurnett@uiowa.edu
AF: University of Iowa, 210 Van Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242 United States
AU: Hansen, K C
EM: kenhan@umich.edu
AF: University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 United States
AU: Kempf, S
EM: sascha-kempf@mpi-hd.mpg.de
AF: Max Planck Institut fuer Kernphysik, P. O. Box 103980, Heidelberg, 69029 Germany
AU: Srama, R
EM: srama@mpi-hd.mpg.de
AF: Max Planck Institut fuer Kernphysik, P. O. Box 103980, Heidelberg, 69029 Germany
AU: Team, M
EM: donald.g.mitchell@jhuapl.edu
AF: Applied Physics Lab, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd., Laurel, MD 20723 United States
AB: Despite their small size and lack of bound atmospheres, data obtained by the Cassini spacecraft suggest Saturn's icy moons strongly modify the magnetosphere. Analyses of Pioneer and Voyager data have indicated that the moons, for instance, strongly absorb energetic charged particles, with differential rates by species and energy. What was not previously appreciated was the extent to which gas and dust associated with the moons (especially Enceladus) act as a source of magnetospheric plasma and act as a sink for energetic ions. These processes have created a depleted, time variable, patchy inner magnetosphere in some charged particle species. Furthermore, the radiation belts of Saturn are relatively weak compared with Earth and Jupiter. Data taken near Enceladus have revealed a much stronger interaction between that satellite and the corotating magnetic field than had been anticipated -- suggesting a major source of gas and dust. Because in our new view the moons so strongly control the charged particle contents of the magnetosphere, there is an important feedback loop between the characteristics of their surfaces and the magnetosphere. This paper will review some of these effects, and discuss some new insights into the role of the icy moons in Saturn's magnetosphere.
DE: 2756 Planetary magnetospheres (5443, 5737, 6033)
DE: 2774 Radiation belts
DE: 5737 Magnetospheres (2756)
DE: 6275 Saturn
DE: 6280 Saturnian satellites
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005