Energetic ion acceleration in Saturn's magnetotail: Substorms at Saturn?

D. G. Mitchell , P. C. Brandt , E. C. Roelof , J. Dandouras (1) , S.M. Krimigis , B. H. Mauk , C. P. Paranicas , N. Krupp , D. C. Hamilton , W. S. Kurth , P. Zarka , M. K.Dougherty , E. J.Bunce , D. E. Shemansky

1 CESR - Centre d'étude spatiale des rayonnements

The Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI) Ion and Neutral Camera (INCA) on the Cassini spacecraft has recorded abrupt increases in energetic neutral atom flux coming from the general direction of Saturn's magnetotail. These bursts of ion activity in the tail are well correlated with enhancements in the Saturn kilometric radiation. Given the similarities between these events and substorm activity on Earth, including their dependence on interplanetary conditions, we conclude that Earth-like substorms occur within Saturn's magnetosphere.

Domaines: Cosmologie et astrophysique extra-galactique [astro-ph.CO]; Astrophysique [astro-ph]

D. G. Mitchell, P. C. Brandt, E. C. Roelof, J. Dandouras, S.M. Krimigis, et al.. Energetic ion acceleration in Saturn's magnetotail: Substorms at Saturn?. Geophysical Research Letters, 2005, 32, pp.20. ⟨10.1029/2005gl022647⟩. ⟨hal-00013177⟩