Academic Journal
Magnetic Field Disturbance Induced by the Enhanced Suprathermal Ring Current in the Magnetosphere of Saturn.
| Τίτλος: | Magnetic Field Disturbance Induced by the Enhanced Suprathermal Ring Current in the Magnetosphere of Saturn. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Li, Yimeng1,2 (AUTHOR), Yue, Chao1,2 (AUTHOR) yuechao@pku.edu.cn, Wang, Yongfu1 (AUTHOR), Dialynas, Konstantinos3 (AUTHOR), Sun, Yixin4 (AUTHOR), Zong, Qiugang1,4 (AUTHOR), Hao, Yixin1 (AUTHOR), Zhou, Xuzhi1 (AUTHOR) |
| Πηγή: | Geophysical Research Letters. 8/16/2026, Vol. 53 Issue 15, p1-10. 10p. |
| Θεματικοί όροι: | *Magnetosphere, *Ion energy, *Planetary rotation, *Magnetic anomalies, *Plasma gases, *Magnetic storms |
| Εταιρία/Οντότητα: | Cassini (Spacecraft) |
| Περίληψη: | Saturn's ring current, which modulates the global magnetic field configuration, varies dynamically with hot plasma injections. However, quantifying transient magnetic field disturbances remains challenging in the absence of in situ measurements on Saturn's surface. Using a forward simulation method, we extract the energetic ion distributions from energetic neutral atom (ENA) images, thereby estimating the energy content from the suprathermal ring current particles and the corresponding magnetic field disturbance. We analyze a dynamic event and show that suprathermal ring current energy triples after injection, then rapidly decays over the subsequent planetary rotation period. The magnetic field depression at the planetary equator is ∼21nT $\mathit{\sim }21\,nT$ after the injection, which is equivalent to a small geomagnetic storm in Earth's magnetosphere. Internal plasma sources and neutral gas environment lead to differences between Saturn's and Earth's ring current dynamics, revealing the characteristics of giant planet magnetosphere. Plain Language Summary: Saturn's ring current, a critical magnetospheric component formed by energetic charged particles, changes dynamically with hot plasma injections, yet measuring its associated magnetic field effects is challenging without surface observations. We employ a forward simulation method to extract the spatial distributions of energetic ions from energetic neutral atom (ENA) images obtained by the Cassini spacecraft, and calculate the suprathermal ring current energy content and associated magnetic disturbances during a plasma injection event. We find that the ring current energy content triples after the injection, causing a planetary equatorial magnetic field depression equivalent to that of a small geomagnetic storm on Earth, and then decays quickly over a single Saturnian rotation period. Saturn's ring current dynamics differ from those of Earth because its magnetosphere is also modulated by internal plasma sources and neutral gas environment, rather than being dominated by the solar wind. This study clarifies the unique ring current behavior in the magnetospheres of giant planets and the associated magnetic effects. Key Points: The global energetic ion distributions are extracted from energetic neutral atom (ENA) images using forward simulationThe energy content of suprathermal ring current can triple after injection and then rapidly decay in the subsequent planetary rotationThe magnetic field depression caused by the enhanced ring current is equivalent to a small geomagnetic storm on Earth [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | Academic Search Index |
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