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Cassini detection of Enceladus's cold water-group plume ionosphere

Journal Article · · Geophysical Research Letters
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [5]
  1. Los Alamos National Laboratory
  2. UNIV OF VIRGINIA
  3. SWRI
  4. MSSL
  5. GIT
+ Show Author Affiliations
This study reports direct detection by the Cassini plasma spectrometer of freshly-produced water-group ions (O{sup +}, OH{sup +}, H{sub 2}O{sup +}, H{sub 3}O{sup +}) and heavier water dimer ions (H{sub x}O{sub 2}{sup +}) very close to Enceladus and where the plasma begins to emerge from the Enceladus plume The data wcre obtained during two close (52 and 25 km) flybys of Enceladus in 2008, and are similar to ion data in cometary comas. The ions are observed in detectors looking in the Cassini ram direction at energies consistent with the Cassini speed, indicating a nearly stagnant plasma flow in the plume. North of Enceladus the plasma slowing commences about 4 to 6 Enceladus radii away, while south of Enccladus signatures ofthe interaction are detected as far as 22 Enceladus radii away.
Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
956369
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-09-00651; LA-UR-09-651
Journal Information:
Geophysical Research Letters, Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters; ISSN GPRLAJ; ISSN 0094-8276
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (16)

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Enceladus: A potential source of ammonia products and molecular nitrogen for Saturn's magnetosphere journal November 2008

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Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
DETECTION
DIMERS
IONOSPHERE
PLASMA
PLUMES
SPECTROMETERS
WATER