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Suppression of Magnetic Reconnection at Saturn's Low‐Latitude Magnetopause
Author(s) -
Fuselier S. A.,
Petrinec S. M.,
Sawyer R. P.,
Mukherjee J.,
Masters A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1029/2020ja027895
Subject(s) - magnetopause , magnetosheath , physics , magnetosphere of saturn , magnetic reconnection , magnetosphere , geophysics , saturn , field line , spacecraft , magnetic field , solar wind , computational physics , astrophysics , astronomy , planet , quantum mechanics
Observations from the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer/Electron Spectrometer (CAPS/ELS) are used in an in‐depth investigation of the occurrence and location of reconnection at Saturn's magnetopause. Heated, streaming electrons parallel and/or antiparallel to the magnetic field in the magnetosheath adjacent to the magnetopause indicate that reconnection is occurring somewhere on the boundary. In these instances, the Cassini spacecraft is connected to open magnetic field lines that thread the magnetopause boundary. A survey of 99 crossings with sufficient pitch angle coverage from CAPS/ELS indicates that 65% of the crossings had this evidence of reconnection. Specific crossings from this survey are used to demonstrate that there are times when reconnection at Saturn's low‐latitude magnetopause may be suppressed.