HR: 0800h
AN: P51A-1400    [Abstracts]
TI: Possible Signature of Plasma Interchange in the Saturnian Plasmasheet From Magnetometer Observations
AU: Dougherty, M
EM: m.dougherty@imperial.ac.uk
AF: The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, Londres, SW7 2BZ United Kingdom
AU: * Andre, N
EM: nicolas.andre@cesr.fr
AF: CESR/CNRS, 9 avenue du Colonel Roche, Toulouse, 31028 France
AU: Khurana, K
EM: kkhurana@igpp.ucla.edu
AF: University of California Los Angeles, Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567 United States
AU: Leisner, J
EM: jleisner@ess.ucla.edu
AF: University of California Los Angeles, Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567 United States
AU: Russell, C
EM: ctrussell@igpp.ucla.edu
AF: University of California Los Angeles, Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567 United States
AB: The Cassini spacecraft crossed both inbound and outbound the Saturnian plasmasheet during its insertion orbit around Saturn, beginning of July 2004. This particular region of the Saturnian magnetosphere, which contains numerous plasma sources, appeared in the magnetometer data particularly dynamic at that time, suggesting an important redistribution of plasma operating in the region. The mechanism responsible for plasma transport and redistribution in rapidly rotating magnetospheres like the Saturnian magnetosphere is believed to be triggered by the centrifugal instability and to proceed through the interchange of magnetic flux tubes. We present and discuss possible signatures of interchanging flux tubes observed in the magnetometer data in regions between Dione and Rhea. These signatures consist of abrupt and of short duration changes in the magnetic field magnitude and are interpreted in term of mass-loaded or depleted flux tubes moving outward or inward through the plasmasheet.
DE: 2756 Planetary magnetospheres (5443, 5737, 6030)
DE: 2764 Plasma sheet
DE: 2772 Plasma waves and instabilities
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting