HR: 1340h
AN: P53A-1458    [Abstracts]
TI: Dust Impacts Observed by Cassini at Saturn's Ring Plane Crossings
AU: * Wang, Z Z
EM: zhenzhen-wang@uiowa.edu
AF: University of Iowa, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa City, IA 52242 United States
AU: Gurnett, D A
EM: donald-gurnett@uiowa.edu
AF: University of Iowa, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa City, IA 52242 United States
AU: Kurth, W S
EM: william-kurth@uiowa.edu
AF: University of Iowa, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa City, IA 52242 United States
AU: Averkamp, T F
EM: terrance-averkamp@uiowa.edu
AF: University of Iowa, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa City, IA 52242 United States
AB: During the Cassini Saturn encounter on July 1, 2004, the radio and plasma wave instrument on Cassini detected a region of intense impulsive noise at the inbound and outbound ring plane crossings. The noise has been attributed to small micron-sized particles hitting the spacecraft. When a small particle strikes the spacecraft at a high velocity, the particle is instantaneously vaporized and heated to a high temperature, producing a cloud of ionized gas that expands away from the impact site. As the ionized gas cloud sweeps over the antenna, it causes a voltage pulse, thereby producing the impulsive noise. The maximum impact rate detected was about 680 per second and the north-south thickness of the impact region was about 2000 km centered on the ring plane. The dust particles are thought to have radii of about 1 to 10 micrometer. The impact rate distribution as a function of height above Saturn's equator will be discussed and compared with previous Voyager measurements.
DE: 5717 Impact phenomena
DE: 5759 Rings and dust
DE: 6265 Planetary rings
DE: 6275 Saturn
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting