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Moons influence on Saturn Kilometric Radiation

Problem description:

Planets of our solar system with well-developed and extended magnetospheres (Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) emit intense coherent non-thermal radio emission with frequencies close to the local cyclotron frequency of the electrons (Zarka, 2000 and references therein). This radiation most likely is generated via electron cyclotron maser instability (Wu and Lee, 1979).  The non-thermal auroral radio emission appears as one of the most attractive and spectacular phenomena of the interaction between the solar wind and planetary magnetospheres. The characteristics of the auroral radio sources are merely depending on the dynamics and topology of the magnetosphere as well as the solar wind environment (Russell, 2005 and references therein). This makes these radiations to be an important information source for remote diagnostics of planetary magnetospheres.

The Saturn Kilometric Radiation (SKR) was detected for the first time by Voyager (Kaiser et al., 1980). SKR is an intense auroral non-thermal radio emission, with comparable characteristics to AKR (Kurth et al., 2005). It occupies the frequency range from several kHz to more than 1.2 MHz with a peak between 100 kHz and 400 kHz. Several energy sources are suggested to be at the origin of the pumping mechanism of the electron-cyclotron maser: specific plasma instabilities such as the central flute instability (Curtis et al., 1986) and Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (Galopeau et al., 1995), or alternatively, upward field-aligned currents between open and closed magnetic field lines at the morning side of the Saturnian magnetosphere (Cowley et al., 2004).

Since most of the Saturnian satellites are immersed in the vast Saturnian magnetosphere, they may be expected to have some influence on the SKR activity. Based on Voyager data Desch and Kaiser (1981), Kurth et al. (1981) have reported on the SKR periodicity with the period near the orbital period of Dione (~ 66 h). Among the proposed interpretations of this modulation is the occultation of SKR low frequencies by the plasma surrounding of the moon, an induction of the radio emission similar to Io-DAM, and parametric action of the moon on the SKR source. As reported by Khodachenko et al. (2006, 2007), the specific modulations with periods corresponding to orbital motions of Enceladus, Titan and possibly Tethys and Hyperion were detected in the SKR intensity profile measured by Cassini/RPWS (Fig.1 a, c).  Based on study of the possible associations of SKR occurrence frequency and periodic enhancement of the SKR intensity with the orbital phases of Saturnian moons, Menietti et al. (2007) and Khodachenko et al., 2007 (Fig.1 b) have shown that Titan and possibly Rhea, and Enceladus may control the SKR.

 

Fig.1: SKR modulation lines related with possible influence of the Saturnian moons: (a) Hyperion and Titan; (b) Correlation of SKR intensity maxima and minima in the ?Titan modulation component? with the position of Titan relative SKR source (c) Enceladus and Tethys.

References:

  • Cowley, S., E. Bunce, and R. Prangé, Saturn's polar ionospheric flows and their relation to the main auroral oval, Annales Geophysicae, 22 , 1379, 2004.
  • Curtis, S. A., R. P. Lepping, and E. C. Sittler, The centrifugal flute in­stability and the generation of Saturnian kilometric radiation, J. Geophys.  Res., 91, 10, 989, 1986.
  • Desch, M. D., and M. L. Kaiser, Saturn's kilometric radiation - Satellite modulation, Nature, 292, 739, 1981.
  • Galopeau, P. H. M., P. Zarka, and D. L. Queau, Source location of Saturn's kilometric radiation: The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability hypothesis, J. Geo­phys. Res., 100, 26,397, 1995.
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  • Khodachenko, M. L., A. G. Kislyakov, M. Panchenko, H.O. Rucker, ?Long-periodic modulations of SKR and the near Saturn solar wind plasma environment - possible planetary and solar effects?, European Planetary Science Congress 2006 Abstracts EPSC2006-A-00148, 2006.
  • Khodachenko, M. L., A. G. Kislyakov, M.  Panchenko, H. O. Rucker, U. Taubenschuss, Effects of Saturn and its moons in the long-periodic variations of the nearby magnetic field and SKR, European Planetary Science Congress 2007, Abstracts, Vol. 2, EPSC2007-A-00100, 2007.
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  • Kurth, W. S., D. A. Gurnett, J. T. Clarke, P. Zarka, M. D. Desch, M. L. Kaiser, B. Cecconi, A. Lecacheux, W. M. Farrell, P. Galopeau, J.-C. Gérard, D. Grodent, R. Prangé, M. K. Dougherty and F. J. Crary., An Earth-like correspondence between Saturn's auroral features and radio emission, Nature, 433 , 722, 2005.
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