HR: 0800h
AN: AE31A-0043    [Abstracts]
TI: Lightning in the Saturnian system
AU: * Fischer, G
EM: georg-fischer@uiowa.edu
AF: Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, 203 Van Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
AU: Gurnett, D A
EM: donald-gurnett@uiowa.edu
AF: Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, 203 Van Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
AU: Kurth, W S
EM: william-kurth@uiowa.edu
AF: Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, 203 Van Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
AU: Farrell, W M
EM: william.farrell@gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, United States
AU: Kaiser, M L
EM: michael.kaiser@nasa.gov
AF: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, United States
AU: Zarka, P
EM: philippe.zarka@obspm.fr
AF: Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, 5 Place Jules Janssen, Meudon Cedex, 92195, France
AU: Lecacheux, A
EM: alain.lecacheux@obspm.fr
AF: Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, 5 Place Jules Janssen, Meudon Cedex, 92195, France
AU: Dyudina, U A
EM: ulyana@gps.caltech.edu
AF: California Institute of Technology, 150-21 Geological and Planetary Sciences, Pasadena, CA 91125, United States
AU: Ingersoll, A P
EM: api@gps.caltech.edu
AF: California Institute of Technology, 150-21 Geological and Planetary Sciences, Pasadena, CA 91125, United States
AB: The Cassini/RPWS (Radio and Plasma Wave Science) instrument has measured the so-called SEDs (Saturn Electrostatic Discharges) which are the radio signatures of lightning in Saturn's atmosphere. During the Cassini mission SEDs have occurred infrequently, but a typical SED storm lasts several weeks with a highly variable flash rate, and in most cases there has been also a correlated cloud feature observed by the Cassini cameras. We will discuss the main physical characteristics of these SEDs like flash duration and rates, spectral radio power, and their polarization, and we will make a comparison with terrestrial lightning flashes. We will also report on our search for bursty radio signals indicative of lightning from Titan. Although lightning seems possible in Titan's thick nitrogen and methane dominated atmosphere, no clear signature has been detected at any of the first 35 close Titan flybys.
DE: 3304 Atmospheric electricity
DE: 3324 Lightning
DE: 5704 Atmospheres (0343, 1060)
DE: 6275 Saturn
DE: 6281 Titan
SC: Atmospheric and Space Electricity [AE]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting