Hybrid simulation of Titan's magnetic field signature during the Cassini T9 flyby

SIMON, S.; KLEINDIENST, G.; BOESSWETTER, A.; BAGDONAT, T.; MOTSCHMANN, U.; GLASSMEIER, K.-H.; SCHUELE, J.; BERTUCCI, C.; DOUGHERTY, M. K.

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS

AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION

Año: 2007

0094-8276

Titan´s induced magnetotail is analyzed in terms of a three-dimensional hybrid model, treating the electrons as a massless, charge-neutralizing fluid, whereas a completely kinetic approach is used to cover ion dynamics. Since during the T9 flyby of Cassini, the spacecraft passed through Titan´s induced magnetotail in a distance of about 4 Titan radii downstream of the obstacle, this flyby offers a unique chance to study the magnetic lobe structure in Titan´s wake region. The key features of the measured magnetic field signature have shown to be completely reproducible in the framework of the hybrid approximation. Besides, the influence of the ionospheric production rates as well as the upstream plasma direction is investigated. While changes of the ion production rate yield only a slight modification of the magnetotail structure, the magnetic field enhancement in the lobes is strongly modified by changes of the upstream flow direction.