HR: 14:10h
AN: P53D-03    [Abstracts]
TI: Suprathermal Heavy Ion Variations in the <20 Rs Kronian Magnetosphere
AU: * Christon, S P
EM: spchriston@aol.com
AF: Focused Analysis and Research, Columbia, Columbia, MD 21044, United States
AU: Hamilton, D C
EM: dch@umd.edu
AF: University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD 20742, United States
AU: Carbary, J F
EM: jim.carbary@jhuapl.edu
AF: JHU/APL, Laurel, Laurel, MD 20723, United States
AU: Krimigis, S M
EM: tom.krimigis@jhuapl.edu
AF: JHU/APL, Laurel, Laurel, MD 20723, United States
AU: Mitchell, D G
EM: don.mithchell@jhuapl.edu
AF: JHU/APL, Laurel, Laurel, MD 20723, United States
AU: Paranicas, C
EM: chris.paranicas@jhuapl.edu
AF: JHU/APL, Laurel, Laurel, MD 20723, United States
AU: Rymer, A M
EM: abi.rymer@jhuapl.edu
AF: JHU/APL, Laurel, Laurel, MD 20723, United States
AB: Singly charged heavy (e.g., O⁺¹, H₂O⁺¹, N₂⁺¹, and O₂⁺¹) and lighter (e.g., H⁺, H₂⁺¹, and He⁺¹) ions in Saturn's magnetosphere are understood to derive predominantly from Saturn and it's rings and satellites. Measurement of these ions and their variations at suprathermal energies provides information on the effectiveness and nature of acceleration processes at Saturn. On each orbit of Cassini about Saturn, variations in the fluxes and ratios of low charge-state heavies to each other and to lighter ions are measured in the <20 Rs Kronian magnetosphere by the Charge-Energy-Mass Spectrometer CHEMS of the Cassini/MIMI experiment at ~3-220 keV/e. Contributions to these often significant variations may result from varying spatial and temporal aspects of the Kronian magnetosphere and transport processes within it, and/or from active processes and variable sources on Saturn, it's rings, and/or satellites (e.g., Enceladus' plume dynamics). Separation of spatial from temporal variations is important in determining global patterns of suprathermal ion abundance, acceleration, and transport. For example, measurements from Cassini/MIMI have established that impulsive injections of tens to hundreds of keV energetic ions and electrons are persistent features in Saturn's magnetosphere at R < 20 Rs. As a part of this study, we will attempt to determine the relative effect of such injections on the observed heavy ion fluxes. We will investigate and report on several years' worth of these spatial-temporal variations at Saturn in an effort to identify, resolve, and categorize both repetitive variation patterns (more likely to be spatial in nature) and dynamic variations (more likely to be temporal in nature).
DE: 2756 Planetary magnetospheres (5443, 5737, 6033)
DE: 2760 Plasma convection (2463)
DE: 5737 Magnetospheres (2756)
DE: 6275 Saturn
DE: 6280 Saturnian satellites
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting