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    Detection of a strongly negative surface potential at Saturn's moon Hyperion

    Nordheim, T.A. and Jones, G.H. and Roussos, E. and Leisner, J.S. and Coates, Andrew J. and Kurth, W.S. and Khurana, K.K. and Krupp, N. and Dougherty, M.K. and Waite, J.H. (2014) Detection of a strongly negative surface potential at Saturn's moon Hyperion. Geophysical Research Letters 41 (20), pp. 7011-7018. ISSN 0094-8276.

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    Abstract

    On 26 September 2005, Cassini conducted its only close targeted flyby of Saturn's small, irregularly shaped moon Hyperion. Approximately 6 min before the closest approach, the electron spectrometer (ELS), part of the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) detected a field-aligned electron population originating from the direction of the moon's surface. Plasma wave activity detected by the Radio and Plasma Wave instrument suggests electron beam activity. A dropout in energetic electrons was observed by both CAPS-ELS and the Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument Low-Energy Magnetospheric Measurement System, indicating that the moon and the spacecraft were magnetically connected when the field-aligned electron population was observed. We show that this constitutes a remote detection of a strongly negative (~ −200 V) surface potential on Hyperion, consistent with the predicted surface potential in regions near the solar terminator.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    Keyword(s) / Subject(s): Saturn's moons, surface charging, Cassini, Hyperion
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science > School of Natural Sciences
    Depositing User: Administrator
    Date Deposited: 20 Nov 2014 14:41
    Last Modified: 02 Aug 2023 17:13
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/11071

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