Recurrent pulsations in Saturn's high latitude magnetosphere

D. G. Mitchell; J. F. Carbary; E. J. Bunce; A. Radioti; S. V. Badman; W. R. Pryor; G. B. Hospodarsky; W. S. Kurth

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2014.10.028

Back

Recurrent pulsations in Saturn's high latitude magnetosphere

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Recurrent pulsations in Saturn's high latitude magnetosphere

D. G. Mitchell, J. F. Carbary, E. J. Bunce, A. Radioti, S. V. Badman, W. R. Pryor, G. B. Hospodarsky and W. S. Kurth

Icarus (New York, N.Y. 1962), Vol.263, pp.94-100

01/01/2016

DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2014.10.028

View Online

Abstract

Over the course of about 6 h on Day 129, 2008, the UV imaging spectrograph (UVIS) on the Cassini spacecraft observed a repeated intensification and broadening of the high latitude auroral oval into the polar cap. This feature repeated at least 5 times with about a 1 h period, as it rotated in the direction of corotation, somewhat below the planetary rotation rate, such that it moved from noon to post-dusk, and from roughly 77 to 82 northern latitudes during the observing interval. The recurring UV observation was accompanied by pronounced 1 h pulsations in auroral hiss power, magnetic perturbations consistent with small-scale field aligned currents, and energetic ion conics and electrons beaming upward parallel to the local magnetic field at the spacecraft location. The magnetic field and particle events are in phase with the auroral hiss pulsation. This event, taken in the context of the more thoroughly documented auroral hiss and particle signatures (seen on many high latitude Cassini orbits), sheds light on the possible driving mechanisms, the most likely of which are magnetopause reconnection and/or Kelvin Helmholtz waves. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Physical Sciences

Science & Technology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Recurrent pulsations in Saturn's high latitude magnetosphere
Creators: D. G. Mitchell - Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
J. F. Carbary - Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
E. J. Bunce - University of Leicester
A. Radioti - University of Liège
S. V. Badman - Lancaster University
W. R. Pryor - Central Arizona College
G. B. Hospodarsky - University of Iowa
W. S. Kurth - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Icarus (New York, N.Y. 1962), Vol.263, pp.94-100
DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2014.10.028
ISSN: 0019-1035
eISSN: 1090-2643
Publisher: Elsevier
Number of pages: 7
Grant note: NASA Goddard Space flight Center; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) NAS5-97271 / NASA Office of Space Science; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) ST/K001000/1 / Science and Technology Facilities Council; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) ST/K001000/1 / STFC Leicester Consolidated Grant Royal Astronomical Society Research Fellowship ST/M005534/1; ST/K001000/1; ST/M001059/1 / STFC; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Johns Hopkins University Philip Leverhulme Award; Leverhulme Trust 1415150 / NASA; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Language: English
Date published: 01/01/2016
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9984455363302771

Metrics

7 Record Views

34 Times Cited - Web of Science