Reanalysis of Cassini Radio Occultation Data and Electron Density Profiles for Saturn

Radio occultations can be used to derive vertical profiles of ionospheric electron density, as the signal from a stable radio source is modified by the presence of plasma in the intervening ionosphere. Cassini performed dozens of such observations at Saturn in order to characterize the planet's ionosphere over a range of latitudes at dawn and dusk. Previously published electron density profiles (EDPs), however, have not been archived on the Planetary Data System (PDS), limiting the community's ability to investigate Saturn's ionosphere with Cassini data. Here, we present preliminary results from a reanalysis of Cassini radio occultations at Saturn, with the intention of archiving the resultant EDPs on the PDS. We describe our analysis pipeline, which generates EDPs for both spherical and oblate representations of Saturn's surface. We also compare these profiles to previously published Saturn EDPs, for the purpose of benchmarking our pipeline.