Christon, SP, Hamilton, DC, Plane, JMC orcid.org/0000-0003-3648-6893 et al. (3 more authors) (2015) Discovery of suprathermal Fe+ in Saturn's magnetosphere. Journal of Geophysical Research, 120 (4). pp. 2720-2738. ISSN 0148-0227
Abstract
Measurements in Saturn's equatorial magnetosphere from mid‐2004 through 2013 made by Cassini's charge‐energy‐mass ion spectrometer indicate the presence of a rare, suprathermal (83–167 keV/e) ion species at Saturn with mass ~56 amu that is likely Fe+. The abundance of Fe+ is only ~10−4 relative to that of W+ (O+, OH+, H2O+, and H3O+), the water group ions which dominate Saturn's suprathermal and thermal ions along with H+ and H2+. The radial variation of the Fe+ partial number density (PND) is distinctly different from that of W+ and most ions that comprise Saturn's suprathermal ion populations which, unlike thermal energy plasma ions, typically have a prominent PND peak at ~8–9 Rs (1 Saturn radius, Rs = 60,268 km). In contrast, the Fe+ PND decreases more or less exponentially from ~4 to ~20 Rs, our study's inner and outer limits. Fe+ may originate from metal layers produced by meteoric ablation near Saturn's mesosphere‐ionosphere boundary and/or possibly impacted interplanetary dust particles or the Saturn system's dark material in the main rings.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | ©2015. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Suprathermal ions; rings; ionospheric metal layers; aurora; meteoroids; ion composition |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Chemistry (Leeds) > Physical Chemistry (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 30 Aug 2019 14:04 |
Last Modified: | 30 Aug 2019 14:04 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Geophysical Union |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/2014JA020906| |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:86106 |