HR: 11:02h
AN: SM52A-04    [Abstracts]
TI: Plasma convection at Saturn: how does it work, and what does it affect?
AU: * Farmer, A J
EM: afarmer@cfa.harvard.edu
AF: Harvard University, MS-51, 60 Garden St, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States
AB: The Cassini mission has revealed much about plasma dynamics in Saturn's magnetosphere. It is now clear that there are fundamental differences between the processes occurring in the Kronian and Jovian systems. We examine the observed plasma properties as a function of distance and longitude, and attempt to deduce the nature of the plasma convection occurring at Saturn. In particular, the plasma density asymmetry (reported by Gurnett et al. 2007) and the temperature structure seem difficult to reconcile. We compare with the properties of the Io torus at Jupiter, and investigate whether similar heating mechanisms could be at play in the two magnetospheres. Alternative scenarios will also be presented. A further question concerns the impact of the plasma convection on the observed drift in the period of the SKR. Goldreich & Farmer (2007) proposed that the convection in Saturn's magnetosphere could be responsible for the changing rotation rate. Here we provide an update on the plausibility of the model in the light of the most recent observations.
DE: 2431 Ionosphere/magnetosphere interactions (2736)
DE: 2740 Magnetospheric configuration and dynamics
DE: 2760 Plasma convection (2463)
DE: 6275 Saturn
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting