INVESTIGADORES
BERTUCCI Cesar
artículos
Título:
Charged particle environment of Titan during the T9 flyby
Autor/es:
SZEGO, K.; BEBESI, Z.; BERTUCCI, C.; COATES, A. J.; CRARY, F.; ERDOS, G.; HARTLE, R.; SITTLER, E. C.; YOUNG, D. T.
Revista:
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
Editorial:
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
Referencias:
Año: 2007
ISSN:
0094-8276
Resumen:
The ion measurements of the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer are presented
which were acquired on 26 December 2005, during the T9 flyby at Titan.
The plasma flow and magnetic field directions in the distant plasma
environment of the moon were distinctly different from the other flybys.
The near-Titan environment, dominated by ions of Titan origin, had a
split signature, each with different ion composition; the first region
was dominated by dense, slow, and cold ions in the 16-19 and 28-40 amu
mass range, the second region contained only ions with mass 1 and 2,
much less dense and less slow. Magnetospheric ions penetrate marginally
into region 1, whereas the region-2 ion population is mixed. A detailed
analysis has led us to conclude that the first event was due to the
crossing of the mantle of Titan, whereas the second one very likely was
a wake crossing. The split indicates the non-convexity of the
ion-dominated volume around Titan. Both ion distributions are analysed
in detail.