Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Ion Composition In Interchange Injection Events In Saturn's Magnetosphere, M. F. Thomsen, Daniel B. Reisenfeld, R. J. Wilson, M. Andriopoulou, F. J. Crary, G. B. Hospodarsky, C. M. Jackman, X. Jia, K. K. Khurana, C. Paranicas, E. Roussos, N. Sergis, R. L. Tokar

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Interchange injection events are commonly observed by the Cassini spacecraft in the region between about 6 and 12 R_s (1 R_s = 60,268 km) and even frequently beyond. In this study, 13 examples of interchange injection events are identified in Cassini-Cassini Plasma Spectrometer data under special conditions such that time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectra could be obtained from entirely within the events. Using the TOF data to separate the main ion species H⁺, H₂⁺, and W⁺, approximate densities of each species are calculated under the assumption that all distributions were isotropic. The …