Saturn's ionosphere: inferred electron densities

Technical Report · Thu Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:6588675

Kaiser, M L; Desch, M D; Connerney, J E.P.

During the two Voyager encounters with Saturn, radio bursts were detected which appear to have originated from atmospheric lightning storms. Although these bursts generally extended over frequencies from as low as 100 kHz to the upper detection limit of the instrument, 40 MHz, they often exhibited a sharp but variable low frequency cutoff below which bursts were not detected. We interpret the variable low-frequency extent of these bursts to be due to the reflection of the radio waves as they propagate through an ionosphere which varies with local time. We obtain estimates of electron densities at a variety of latitude and local time locations. These compare well with the dawn and dusk densitis measured by the Pioneer 11 Voyager Radio Science investigations, and with model predictions for dayside densities. However, we infer a two-order-of-magnitude diurnal variation of electron density, which had not been anticipated by theoretical models of Saturn's ionosphere, and an equally dramatic extinction of ionospheric electron density by Saturn's rings.

• Research Organization: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD (USA). Goddard Space Flight Center
• OSTI ID: 6588675
• Report Number(s): N-84-17102; NASA-TM-85121
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640107* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Planetary Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON DENSITY
LIGHTNING
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLANETS
RADIATIONS
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
SATURN PLANET
VARIATIONS