Dynamics of large scale injections at Saturn
Abstract
The Cassini spacecraft regularly observed injections of hot plasma in the inner magnetosphere. These plasma injections included particles that typically were no greater than a few tens of keV in energy. At the same time, the Magnetosphere Imaging Instrument (MIMI) also observed injection-related features that appeared in the tens to hundreds of keV energy range. In time-energy spectrograms, these features appear as bands that increase in energy with decreasing radial distance. For two or more bands of energetic electrons that are detected at the same time, we have assumed that the injections were old enough that some of the measured particles had made at least one complete trip around the planet. More energetic electrons can gradient-curvature drift much faster than less energetic ones and if the features survive long enough can include both types of electrons on the same L shell. Furthermore, these large-scale injections have been linked to auroral signatures at Saturn. In this presentation, we will use the bands observed in the MIMI data to understand properties of large-scale injections at Saturn. We use a previously-developed test particle model wherein particles that "drift out of" a large-scale injection can be followed in their drift dispersion and their drift patterns can then be reconciled with MIMI measurements.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFMSM52A..07P
- Keywords:
-
- 2731 Magnetosphere: outer;
- MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICSDE: 5737 Magnetospheres;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: FLUID PLANETSDE: 6222 Ganymede;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTSDE: 7899 General or miscellaneous;
- SPACE PLASMA PHYSICS