HR: 0800h
AN: P51A-1415    [Abstracts]
TI: Composition and Sources of Suprathermal Ions in Saturn's Magnetosphere
AU: * Hamilton, D C
EM: dch@umd.edu
AF: University of Maryland, Department of Physics, College Park, MD 20740 United States
AU: Gloeckler, G
AF: University of Maryland, Department of Physics, College Park, MD 20740 United States
AU: Krimigis, S M
AF: Applied Physics Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD 20723 United States
AU: Mitchell, D G
AF: Applied Physics Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD 20723 United States
AU: Dandouras, J
AF: Centre D'Etude Spatiale Des Rayonnements, ÿ9 Avenue du Colonel Roche, Toulouse, 31028 France
AU: Livi, S
AF: Applied Physics Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD 20723 United States
AU: Krupp, N
AF: Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Max-Planck-Str. 2, Katlenburg-Lindau, 37191 Germany
AU: Armstrong, T P
AF: Fundamental Technologies, Inc., 2411 Ponderosa, Lawrence, KS 66046 United States
AB: The Charge-Energy-Mass Spectrometer (CHEMS), one of three sensors comprising the MIMI investigation on Cassini, measures the mass and charge state of ions in the energy per charge range 3--220 keV/e. CHEMS has determined the composition of the suprathermal ions during Cassini's first pass through Saturn's magnetosphere. The most abundant species were H$^{+}$, H$_{2}^{+}$, and O$^{+}$. Also present were the molecular ions OH$^{+}$, H$_{2}$O$^{+}$, and O$_{2}^{+}$ as well as doubly charged oxygen O$^{++}$. We have observed a near absence of N$^{+}$ ions. This composition, which features water products, indicates that Saturn's rings and icy moons are strong plasma sources while Titan, with its largely nitrogen atmosphere, is not. We will discuss composition variations with position in Saturn's magnetosphere as well as any temporal changes observed between Cassini's first and second orbits.
DE: 5737 Magnetospheres (2756)
DE: 6275 Saturn
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting