5 research outputs found
Energetic electron pitch angle distributions during the Cassini final orbits
Pitch angle distributions (PADs) of very energetic electrons (110â365 keV) are examined during the ringâgrazing and proximal orbits of the Cassini spacecraft, from day 320 2016 (15 November) to day 257 2017 (14 September). These repeating orbits allowed a statistical evaluation of the PADs within the magnetopause on the nightside of Saturn. Along Lâshells (i.e., equatorial crossing distances of magnetic field lines) near and outside that of Titan and north of the equator, the electron fluxes were unidirectionally fieldâaligned going away from Saturn. Along Lâshells inside Titan's and south of the equator, the electrons had bidirectional or pancake (trapping) PADs. This behavior suggests that the field lines within Titan's Lâshell are generally closed, while those outside of that Lâshell are generally open. This result strictly applies only to the nightside local times sampled during the final Cassini orbits, but one may infer a similar behavior at other times