Ion Loss from Titan's Atmosphere versus Local Time: A two-fluid MHD Study
Abstract
This presentation report recent progress on modeling of plasma interaction around Titan. The single fluid MHD model reproduces only the sum of the electron temperature and ion temperature. Our recent modeling includes an electron energy equation in the Hall MHD model so that both electron temperature and ion temperature ARE self-consistently calculated. The plasma interaction with Titan is expected to vary as the moon moves around its orbit. Using the improved model, we compare the structure of the interaction under two extreme conditions, corresponding to upstream flow interacting with the nightside and dayside ionosphere respectively. Model results show that the dayside ionosphere is more extended and the flow is more disturbed in the 6 SLT case than in the 18 SLT case. We calculate the ion escape rates under these conditions and compare with Cassini observations of the only two available low altitudes Cassini flybys in Saturn's dawn (T5 flyby) and dusk (T34 flyby) sectors.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2009
- Bibcode:
- 2009AGUFM.P13D..06M
- Keywords:
-
- 0343 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE / Planetary atmospheres;
- 2427 IONOSPHERE / Ionosphere/atmosphere interactions;
- 2732 MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS / Magnetosphere interactions with satellites and rings;
- 6281 PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS / Titan