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Plasma environment in the wake of Titan from hybrid simulation: A case study
Author(s) -
Modolo R.,
Chanteur G. M.,
Wahlund J.E.,
Canu P.,
Kurth W. S.,
Gurnett D.,
Matthews A. P.,
Bertucci C.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2007gl030489
Subject(s) - titan (rocket family) , asymmetry , plasma , ionosphere , wake , physics , atmospheric sciences , spacecraft , electron density , southern hemisphere , computational physics , environmental science , geophysics , astronomy , mechanics , nuclear physics , quantum mechanics
On 26 December 2005, the Cassini spacecraft flew through Titan's plasma wake and revealed a complex and dynamic region. Observations suggest a strong asymmetry which seems to be displaced from the ideal position of the wake. Two distinct plasma regions are identified with a significant difference on the electron number density and on the plasma composition. Simulation results using a three‐dimensional and multi‐species hybrid model, performed in conditions similar to those encountered during the flyby, are presented and compared to the observations. An acceptable agreement is shown between the model predictions and the observations. We suggest that the observed asymmetries, in terms of density and plasma composition, are mainly caused by the a combination of the asymmetry in the ion/electron production rate and the magnetic field morphology, where the first plasma region is connected to the dayside hemisphere of Titan's ionosphere while the other is connected to the nightside hemisphere.