Magnetic Flux Circulation in the Saturnian Magnetosphere as Constrained by Cassini Observations in the Inner Magnetosphere

Magnetic signatures of plasma-depleted flux tubes in the Saturnian inner magnetosphere

[1] Initial Cassini observations have revealed evidence for interchanging magnetic flux tubes in the inner Saturnian magnetosphere. Some of the reported flux tubes differ remarkably by their magnetic signatures, having a depressed or enhanced magnetic pressure relative to their surroundings. The ones with stronger fields have been interpreted previously as either outward moving mass-loaded or i...

Cassini observations of planetary-period magnetic field oscillations in Saturn’s magnetosphere: Doppler shifts and phase motion

[1] Cassini magnetic field observations show that few-nT oscillations near the planetary rotation period, first observed in Pioneer-11 and Voyager-1 and -2 fly-by data, are essentially ubiquitous in Saturn’s magnetosphere, though their character differs between the quasi-dipolar ring current region and the dawn tail. Examination of data from the ringcurrent region shows, however, that the obser...

Observations of lower hybrid cavities in the inner magnetosphere by the Cluster and Viking satellites

Observations by the Viking and Cluster satellites at altitudes up to 35 000 km show that Lower Hybrid Cavities (LHCs) are common in the inner magnetosphere. LHCs are density depletions filled with waves in the lower hybrid frequency range. The LHCs have, until recently, only been found at altitudes up to 2000 km. Statistics of the locations and general shape of the LHCs is performed to obtain a...

The inner magnetosphere of Saturn: Cassini RPWS cold plasmaresults from the first encounter

Discovery of nitrogen in Saturn’s inner magnetosphere

[1] We detected N in Saturn’s magnetosphere in the range L 3.5 to 9.5 Saturn Radii (Rs) using data collected by the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer during Saturn Orbit Insertion and the following orbit (Rev A). The presence of N in Saturn’s magnetosphere has been a source of much debate since Voyager’s detection of unresolved mass/charge 14–16 amu ions in this region. Two principal nitrogen sources...