Tokar, RL; Johnson, RE; Thomsen, MF; Wilson, RJ; Young, DT; Crary, FJ; Coates, AJ; ... Paty, CS; + view all Tokar, RL; Johnson, RE; Thomsen, MF; Wilson, RJ; Young, DT; Crary, FJ; Coates, AJ; Jones, GH; Paty, CS; - view fewer (2009) Cassini detection of Enceladus' cold water-group plume ionosphere. Geophysical Research Letters , 36 , Article L13203. 10.1029/2009GL038923.

Preview

PDF 2009GL038923.pdf Available under License : See the attached licence file. Download (299kB)

Abstract

This study reports direct detection by the Cassini plasma spectrometer of freshly-produced water-group ions (O+, OH+, H2O+, H3O+) and heavier water dimer ions (HxO(2))(+) very close to Enceladus where the plasma begins to emerge from the plume. The data were 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 exhibiting energies consistent with the Cassini speed, indicative of 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 Enceladus signatures of the plasma interaction with the plume are detected 22 Enceladus radii away. Citation: Tokar, R. L., R. E. Johnson, M. F. Thomsen, R. J. Wilson, D. T. Young, F. J. Crary, A. J. Coates, G. H. Jones, and C. S. Paty ( 2009), Cassini detection of Enceladus' cold water-group plume ionosphere, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L13203, doi:10.1029/2009GL038923.

Download activity - last month

Export as JSONCSVXML

Download activity - last 12 months

Export as JSONXMLCSV

Downloads by country - last 12 months

Export as JSONCSVXML

Archive Staff Only

View Item