Journal article
Discovery of a north-south asymmetry in Saturn's radio rotation period
Geophysical research letters, Vol.36(16), pp.16102-n/a
08/2009
DOI: 10.1029/2009GL039621
Abstract
For many years it has been known that Saturn emits intense radio emissions at kilometer wavelengths and that this radiation is modulated by the rotation of the planet at a rate that varies by up to one percent on a time scale of years. Recent radio observations from the Cassini spacecraft have revealed the appearance of a second component, with a rotation period of about 10.6 hours, significantly less than the period of the previously known component, which is currently about 10.8 hours. In this paper we show that the first component originates from the southern auroral region, and that the second component originates from the northern auroral region. This north-south asymmetry in the rotation period has potentially important implications on how angular momentum is transferred from the interior to the magnetosphere.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Discovery of a north-south asymmetry in Saturn's radio rotation period
- Creators
- Donald A. Gurnett - Iowa State UniversityAlain Lecacheux - Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysiqueWilliam S. Kurth - Iowa State UniversityA. M. Persoon - Iowa State UniversityJ. B. Groene - Iowa State UniversityLaurent Lamy - Imperial College LondonPhilippe Zarka - Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysiqueJ. F. Carbary - Johns Hopkins University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Geophysical research letters, Vol.36(16), pp.16102-n/a
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union
- DOI
- 10.1029/2009GL039621
- ISSN
- 0094-8276
- eISSN
- 1944-8007
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 08/2009
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984455262402771
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