Rymer, AM; Smith, HT; Wellbrock, A; Coates, AJ; Young, DT; (2009) Discrete classification and electron energy spectra of Titan's varied magnetospheric environment. Geophysical Research Letters , 36 , Article L15109. 10.1029/2009GL039427.

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Abstract

We analyse combined electron spectra across the dynamic range of both Cassini electron sensors in order to characterise the background plasma environment near Titan for 54 Cassini-Titan encounters as of May 2009. We characterise the encounters into four broad types: Plasma sheet, Lobe-like, Magnetosheath and Bimodal. Despite many encounters occurring close to the magnetopause only two encounters to date were predominantly in the magnetosheath (T32 and T42). Bimodal encounters contain two distinct electron populations, the low energy component of the bi-modal populations is apparently associated with local water group products. Additionally, a hot lobe-like environment is also occasionally observed and is suggestively linked to increased local pick-up. We find that 34 of 54 encounters analysed are associated with one of these groups while the remaining encounters exhibit a combination of these environments. We provide typical electron properties and spectra for each plasma regime and list the encounters appropriate to each. Citation: Rymer, A.M., H. T. Smith, A. Wellbrock, A.J. Coates, and D.T. Young (2009), Discrete classification and electron energy spectra of Titan's varied magnetospheric environment, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L15109, doi: 10.1029/2009GL039427.

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