HR: 10:20h
AN: SM52A-01 INVITED    [Abstracts]
TI: Solar wind and rotational effects on the 3d configuration of Saturn's magnetosphere: Observations, theory, and modelling, in the Cassini era
AU: * Arridge, C S
EM: chris.arridge@physics.org
AF: Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Department of Space and Climate Physics, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, RH5 6NT, United Kingdom
AU: Khurana, K K
EM: kkhurana@igpp.ucla.edu
AF: Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, Slichter Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
AU: Russell, C T
EM: ctrussel@igpp.ucla.edu
AF: Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, Slichter Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
AU: Achilleos, N
EM: nick@apl.ucl.ac.uk
AF: Atmospheric Physics Laboratory, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
AU: Andre, N
EM: nandre@rssd.esa.int
AF: Research and Scientific Support Department, European Space Agency, Keplerlaan 1, Noordwijk, 2200, Netherlands
AU: Dougherty, M K
EM: m.dougherty@ic.ac.uk
AF: Space and Atmospheric Physics, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
AU: McAndrews, H J
EM: hazelm@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Space Science and Applications (ISR-1), Los Alamos, NM 87545, United States
AB: Cassini has now provided over 50 orbits of high quality data and is revolutionising our understanding of Saturn's magnetosphere. The post-Voyager view was of a magnetosphere somewhat intermediate between the terrestrial and jovian magnetospheres. Cassini observations, and recent modelling and theoretical work, are showing us that the distinction is not so straightforward. Saturn's&pmagnetosphere appears to be unique in the solar system in that the solar wind and rotational effects strongly interact to produce a highly complex magnetosphere. For example, observations have shown (Arridge et al., 2007a) that the magnetodisc is suppressed on the dayside when the magnetosphere is in a compressed state showing that the effect of rotation on the magnetic field (Arridge et al., 2007b; Bunce et al. 2007) can be significantly altered by the solar wind in a highly time-dependent manner. In this talk we discuss the roles of solar wind and rotational forcing in producing the complex three-dimensional kronian magnetosphere. In particular we discuss: the compressibility of the magnetosphere, observations of the polar cusp and evidence for an open magnetosphere, formation of the magnetotail, morphology of the plasma sheet, and magnetodisc models.
DE: 2706 Cusp
DE: 2740 Magnetospheric configuration and dynamics
DE: 2784 Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions
DE: 5737 Magnetospheres (2756)
DE: 6275 Saturn
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting