HR: 1340h
AN: P43A-1006    [Abstracts]
TI: Numerical Simulation of Coriolis Effects on the Interchange Instability in Saturn¡¯s Magnetosphere
AU: * Wu, H
EM: wuhan@rice.edu
AF: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, 6100 S Main, MS-108, Houston, TX 77005, United States
AU: Hill, T W
EM: hill@rice.edu
AF: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, 6100 S Main, MS-108, Houston, TX 77005, United States
AU: Wolf, R A
EM: wolf@alfven.rice.edu
AF: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, 6100 S Main, MS-108, Houston, TX 77005, United States
AU: Spiro, R W
EM: spiro@rice.edu
AF: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, 6100 S Main, MS-108, Houston, TX 77005, United States
AB: Simulations with the Rice Convection Model (RCM) of the injection-dispersion phenomenon in Saturn's magnetosphere produce interchange convection cells stretching outward from the outer edge of the plasma torus centered near the orbit of Enceladus. We show that the velocity-dependent Coriolis effects can be included by an effective Hall conductance, which is first implemented here using the grid based RCM. The simulation shows the following effects introduced by the Coriolis force: (1) bending of the convection cells in the retrograde direction, and (2) slowing of their growth. Our simulation results support and distinguish the predictions made by Vasyliunas [GRL, 21, 401, 1994] and Pontius [GRL, 24, 2961, 1997].
DE: 2760 Plasma convection (2463)
DE: 5737 Magnetospheres (2756)
DE: 5759 Rings and dust
DE: 7836 MHD waves and instabilities (2149, 2752, 6050)
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting