Simultaneous infrared and ultraviolet observations of Saturn's aurora using Cassini VIMS and UVIS during the 2013 auroral campaign (Invited)

The co-ordinated observing campaign of Saturn's aurora in April and May 2013 offered an unprecedented view of the auroral process, utilizing Cassini's remote sensing and in-situ instruments, ground-based infrared telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope. Here, we focus on simultaneous infrared and ultraviolet emissions that were captured by the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) and the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) instruments. These observations provides a view of a) the auroral precipitation inputs: electron energy flux, primary electron energy, and energy of secondaries that excite molecular hydrogen, and b) the response of the thermosphere and ionosphere to these inputs, via the analysis of the H3+ infrared spectrum. We explore the relation between energy input atmospheric response, and evaluate what role auroral energy deposition plays on the global energy balance.