期刊
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
卷 42, 期 12, 页码 4676-4684出版社
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
DOI: 10.1002/2015GL064474
关键词
ionosphere; Titan; ambipolar field; escape
资金
- STFC, UK [ST/K000977/1]
- NASA JPL contracts [1243218, 1405851]
- STFC [PP/D005213/1, ST/K000977/1] Funding Source: UKRI
- Science and Technology Facilities Council [ST/L001683/1, ST/K000977/1, PP/D005213/1] Funding Source: researchfish
- UK Space Agency [ST/J00460X/1, PP/D00084X/1, ST/I002642/1] Funding Source: researchfish
Neutral particles dominate regions of the Saturn magnetosphere and locations near several of Saturn's moons. Sunlight ionizes neutrals, producing photoelectrons with characteristic energy spectra. The Cassini plasma spectrometer electron spectrometer has detected photoelectrons throughout these regions, where photoelectrons may be used as tracers of magnetic field morphology. They also enhance plasma escape by setting up an ambipolar electric field, since the relatively energetic electrons move easily along the magnetic field. A similar mechanism is seen in the Earth's polar wind and at Mars and Venus. Here we present a new analysis of Titan photoelectron data, comparing spectra measured in the sunlit ionosphere at similar to 1.4 Titan radii (R-T) and at up to 6.8 R-T away. This results in an upper limit on the potential of 2.95V along magnetic field lines associated with Titan at up to 6.8 R-T, which is comparable to some similar estimates for photoelectrons seen in Earth's magnetosphere.
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