Interaction of Saturn's magnetosphere and its moons: 3. Time variation of the Enceladus plume

Y. -D. Jia; C. T. Russell; K. K. Khurana; Y. J. Ma; W. Kurth; T. I. Gombosi

doi:10.1029/2010JA015534

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Interaction of Saturn's magnetosphere and its moons: 3. Time variation of the Enceladus plume

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Interaction of Saturn's magnetosphere and its moons: 3. Time variation of the Enceladus plume

Y. -D. Jia, C. T. Russell, K. K. Khurana, Y. J. Ma, W. Kurth and T. I. Gombosi

Journal of geophysical research. Space physics, Vol.115(A12), A12243

12/2010

DOI: 10.1029/2010JA015534

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Abstract

The major momentum-loading source in Saturn's magnetosphere, Enceladus, has been studied with seven Cassini flybys between 2005 and 2008. In this paper, we first use parameter tests with our 3-D magnetohydrodynamic simulation to demonstrate and determine the sensitivity of the interaction to both electron impact rates and charge-exchange rates. We also investigate the reasons behind our previous discovery that in the plume, within about two Enceladus radii of the plume's source, the momentum-loading rates per unit ion and neutral density are orders of magnitude lower than at greater distances. We find that depletion of hot electrons and variations in charge-exchange rates are two possible explanations for such a reduction of the momentum-loading rates. Assisted by the Cassini observations, we use our understanding of the plasma interaction to determine the temporal variation of Enceladus' neutral plume, which is important in understanding its origin, as well as the geological evolution of this icy moon. We base our study on magnetometer observations during all seven flybys to present the first comparative analysis to all flybys in 2005 and 2008. It is found that the maximum variation in gas production rates is one third the largest rate. The plasma momentum-loading rate ranges from 0.8 to 1.9 kg/s, which is consistent with previous studies.

Physical Sciences

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Science & Technology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Interaction of Saturn's magnetosphere and its moons: 3. Time variation of the Enceladus plume
Creators: Y. -D. Jia - University of California, Los Angeles
C. T. Russell - University of California, Los Angeles
K. K. Khurana - University of California, Los Angeles
Y. J. Ma - Univ Calif Los Angeles, IGPP, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
W. Kurth - University of Iowa
T. I. Gombosi - University of Michigan
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of geophysical research. Space physics, Vol.115(A12), A12243
DOI: 10.1029/2010JA015534
ISSN: 2169-9380
eISSN: 2169-9402
Publisher: Amer Geophysical Union
Number of pages: 13
Grant note: 1236948 / NASA; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)
Language: English
Date published: 12/2010
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9984455279002771

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