Extreme densities in Titan's ionosphere during the T85 magnetosheath encounter
Extreme densities in Titan's ionosphere during the T85 magnetosheath encounter
复制标题
DOI：
10.1002/grl.50579
复制
发表时间：
2013-06-28
影响因子：
5.2
通讯作者：
Dougherty, M. K.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Edberg, N. J. T.;Andrews, D. J.;Dougherty, M. K.
我们目前的卡西尼朗缪尔探测测量的最高电子数密度有史以来从土卫六电离层的报告。在T85土卫六飞越期间，测得的密度达到4310 cm（-3）。这比以前观测到的至少高出500厘米（-3），比类似太阳天顶角的平均密度高出至少50%。在这次飞越中没有达到电离层密度的峰值，使最大测量密度成为一个下限。在这次飞越，我们还报告说，一个影响日冕物质抛射（CME）离开土卫六在土星的磁鞘，在那里它暴露在冲击太阳风等离子体至少2小时45分钟。我们建议，太阳风等离子体在磁鞘在CME条件下显着修改土卫六的电离层通过添加粒子碰撞电离沉淀质子。
We present Cassini Langmuir probe measurements of the highest electron number densities ever reported from the ionosphere of Titan. The measured density reached 4310cm(-3) during the T85 Titan flyby. This is at least 500cm(-3) higher than ever observed before and at least 50% above the average density for similar solar zenith angles. The peak of the ionospheric density is not reached on this flyby, making the maximum measured density a lower limit. During this flyby, we also report that an impacting coronal mass ejection (CME) leaves Titan in the magnetosheath of Saturn, where it is exposed to shocked solar wind plasma for at least 2 h 45 min. We suggest that the solar wind plasma in the magnetosheath during the CME conditions significantly modifies Titan's ionosphere by an addition of particle impact ionization by precipitating protons.