Home » Menietti et al.

Survey of Saturn Z-mode emission

Menietti J. D., T. F. Averkamp, S. -. Ye, R. B. Horne, E. E. Woodfield, Y. Y. Shprits, D. A. Gurnett, A. M. Persoon, J. -. Wahlund, (2015), Survey of Saturn Z-mode emission, J. Geophys. Res. [Space Physics], 120, 6176-6187, doi:10.1002/2015JA021426

Abstract

Abstract Because of the role of Z-mode emission in the diffusive scattering and resonant acceleration of electrons, we conduct a survey of intensity in the Saturn inner magnetosphere. Z mode is primarily observed as “5 kHz” narrowband emission in the lower density regions where the ratio of cyclotron to plasma frequency, fc/fp > 1 to which we limit this study. This occurs at Saturn along the inner edge of the Enceladus torus near the equator and at higher latitudes. We present profiles and parametric fits of intensity as a function of frequency, radius, latitude, and local time. The magnetic field intensity levels are lower than chorus, but the electric field intensities are comparable. We conclude that Z-mode wave-particle interactions may make a significant contribution to electron acceleration in the inner magnetosphere of Saturn, supplementing acceleration produced by chorus emission.

Authors (sorted by name)

Averkamp Gurnett Horne Menietti Shprits Woodfield

Journal / Conference

Journal Of Geophysical Research (Space Physics)

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank J. Barnholdt for administrative assistance, J. Chrisinger for help with several figures, and D. Pisa and J. Groene for Figure 3. J.D.M. acknowledges support from JPL contract 1415150 and NASA grant NNX11AM36G. R.B.H. and E.E.W. are funded through STFC grant ST/1001727/1. R.B.H. is funded in the UK by NERC. Cassini RPWS data are archived in calibrated, full resolution at the NASA Planetary Data System website: http://pds.nasa.gov/ds‐view/pds/viewDataset.jsp?dsid=CO‐V/E/J/S/SS‐RPWS‐3‐RDR‐LRFULL‐V1.0.

Grants

1415150 NNX11AM36G ST/1001727/1

Bibtex

@article{doi:10.1002/2015JA021426,
author = {Menietti, J. D. and Averkamp, T. F. and Ye, S.-Y. and Horne, R. B. and Woodfield, E. E. and Shprits, Y. Y. and Gurnett, D. A. and Persoon, A. M. and Wahlund, J.-E.},
title = {Survey of Saturn Z-mode emission},
year={2015},
journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics},
volume = {120},
number = {8},
pages = {6176-6187},
keywords = {plasma waves and instabilities, wave/particle interactions, planetary magnetospheres, Z mode at Saturn},
doi = {10.1002/2015JA021426},
url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/2015JA021426},
eprint = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/2015JA021426},
abstract = {Abstract Because of the role of Z-mode emission in the diffusive scattering and resonant acceleration of electrons, we conduct a survey of intensity in the Saturn inner magnetosphere. Z mode is primarily observed as “5 kHz” narrowband emission in the lower density regions where the ratio of cyclotron to plasma frequency, fc/fp > 1 to which we limit this study. This occurs at Saturn along the inner edge of the Enceladus torus near the equator and at higher latitudes. We present profiles and parametric fits of intensity as a function of frequency, radius, latitude, and local time. The magnetic field intensity levels are lower than chorus, but the electric field intensities are comparable. We conclude that Z-mode wave-particle interactions may make a significant contribution to electron acceleration in the inner magnetosphere of Saturn, supplementing acceleration produced by chorus emission.}
}