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[21.01] Ion distributions of 14 amu Pickup IonsAssociated with Titan's Plasma Interaction

S. A. Ledvina, J. G. Luhmann (Space Sciences Laboratory, UC, Berkeley), S. H. Brecht (Bay Area Research Corp.)

Titan posses an extensive ionosphere consisting of ions of nitrogen and a variety of hydrocarbons. These ions can be picked up by Titan's interaction with the surrounding plasma. Usually Titan is within Saturn's magnetosphere, however, there may be times when Titan exits the magnetosphere and interacts directly with the solar wind. Hybrid simulations of Titan's plasma interaction with Saturn's magnetosphere have shown the importance of the ion kinetics in the form of asymmetries in the bow and tail structures. However they are also capable of providing information about the ion energy spectra and spatial distributions. We compare and contrast the energy spectra and spatial distributions of 14 amu pickup ions from hybrid simulations of Titan's plasma interaction with both Saturn's magnetosphere and the solar wind.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35 #4
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.