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[21.06] Electromagnetic Sounding of Titan's Interior in Search of an Ocean Using Magnetic Field Measurements During Close Encounters

F.M. Neubauer, N. Schilling, H. Backes (U. Cologne, Koeln, Germany)

One important objective of observational studies of Titan's interior is the characterization of an ammonia water ocean. Whereas the strong deviations from axissymmetry of the Jovian magnetic field can be used to electromagnetically sound the interior of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter, this technique is not available at Titan. In Titan's case an inducing field is applied to Titan's interior by the strong temporal variations of the shielding ionospheric currents as Titan revolves around Saturn within 16 days. We have modelled the magnetic field in Titan's close vicinity at various important locations with altitudes below 1000 km as a function of Saturnian local time for a variety of possible models of Titan's interior. We briefly discuss the potential of the technique applied to the magnetic field data to be obtained during the close flybys of the Cassini mission to resolve ice thickness, ocean conductivity and ocean thickness. We finally note that suitable Titan encounters during an Extended Mission of Cassini are particularly interesting from this point of view.

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