Titan's interaction with the supersonic solar wind: TITAN SOLAR WIND INTERACTION

C. Bertucci; D. C. Hamilton; W. S. Kurth; G. Hospodarsky; D. Mitchell; N. Sergis; N. J. T. Edberg; M. K. Dougherty

doi:10.1002/2014GL062106

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Titan's interaction with the supersonic solar wind: TITAN SOLAR WIND INTERACTION

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Titan's interaction with the supersonic solar wind: TITAN SOLAR WIND INTERACTION

C. Bertucci, D. C. Hamilton, W. S. Kurth, G. Hospodarsky, D. Mitchell, N. Sergis, N. J. T. Edberg and M. K. Dougherty

Geophysical research letters, Vol.42(2), pp.193-200

01/28/2015

DOI: 10.1002/2014GL062106

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Abstract

After 9 years in the Saturn system, the Cassini spacecraft finally observed Titan in the supersonic and super-Alfvénic solar wind. These unique observations reveal that Titan's interaction with the solar wind is in many ways similar to unmagnetized planets Mars and Venus and active comets in spite of the differences in the properties of the solar plasma in the outer solar system. In particular, Cassini detected a collisionless, supercritical bow shock and a well-defined induced magnetosphere filled with mass-loaded interplanetary magnetic field lines, which drape around Titan's ionosphere. Although the flyby altitude may not allow the detection of an ionopause, Cassini reports enhancements of plasma density compatible with plasma clouds or streamers in the flanks of its induced magnetosphere or due to an expansion of the induced magnetosphere. Because of the upstream conditions, these observations may be also relevant to other bodies in the outer solar system such as Pluto, where kinetic processes are expected to dominate.

Details

Title: Subtitle: Titan's interaction with the supersonic solar wind: TITAN SOLAR WIND INTERACTION
Creators: C. Bertucci - Institute of Astronomy and Space Physics
D. C. Hamilton - University of Maryland, College Park
W. S. Kurth - University of Iowa
G. Hospodarsky - University of Iowa
D. Mitchell - Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
N. Sergis - Academy of Athens
N. J. T. Edberg - Swedish Institute of Space Physics
M. K. Dougherty - Imperial College London
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Geophysical research letters, Vol.42(2), pp.193-200
DOI: 10.1002/2014GL062106
ISSN: 0094-8276
eISSN: 1944-8007
Grant note: name: Argentine National Agency for Promotion of Science and Technology (ANPCYT), award: 2012-1763
Language: English
Date published: 01/28/2015
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9984455552302771

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