Evidence of an Extended Alfvén Wing System at Enceladus : Cassini's Multi-Instrument Observations
| Title: | Evidence of an Extended Alfvén Wing System at Enceladus : Cassini's Multi-Instrument Observations |
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| Authors: | Hadid, L. Z.; Chust, T.; Wahlund, Jan-Erik; Morooka, Michiko; Roussos, E.; Witasse, O.; Rabia, J.; Pisa, D.; Kim, Konstantin; Edberg, Niklas; Rymer, A. M.; Lamy, L.; Kotsiaros, S.; Aizawa, S.; Jeandet, A.; Modolo, R.; Andre, N.; Canu, P.; Bowers, C. F.; Jia, X.; Coates, A. J.; Jones, G. H.; Parsec-wallis, A.; Agiwal, O.; Holmberg, M. K. G.; Nenon, Q.; Cao, H.; Kurth, W. S.; Dougherty, M. K. |
| Publisher Information: | Uppsala universitet, Institutet för rymdfysik, Uppsalaavdelningen; Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för fysik och astronomi; Sorbonne Univ, Univ Paris Saclay, Ecole Polytech,Observ Paris, Inst Polytech Paris,Lab Phys Plasmas LPP,CNRS, Palaiseau, France.; Max Planck Inst Solar Syst Res, Gottingen, Germany.; European Space Agcy, ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands.; UPS, Inst Rech Astrophys & Planetol, CNES, CNRS, Toulouse, France.; Czech Acad Sci, Dept Space Phys, Inst Atmospher Phys, Prague, Czech Republic.; Johns Hopkins Univ, Appl Phys Lab, Laurel, MD USA.; Aix Marseille Univ, LAM, CNRS, CNES, Marseille, France.;Univ PSL, Sorbonne Univ, Univ Paris Cite, Cergy Paris Univ,LIRA,Observ Paris,LIRA,CNRS, Meudon, France.; European Space Agcy, ESAC, Madrid, Spain.; Sorbonne Univ, LATMOS, IPSL, UVSQ,CNRS,CNES, Paris, France.; UPS, Inst Rech Astrophys & Planetol, CNES, CNRS, Toulouse, France.;Inst Super Aeronaut & Espace ISAE Supaero, Toulouse, France.; Univ Michigan, Dept Climate & Space Sci & Engn, Ann Arbor, MI USA.; Univ Coll London, Mullard Space Sci Lab, Dorking, England.;UCL Birkbeck, Ctr Planetary Sci, London, England.; European Space Agcy, ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands.;Univ Coll London, Mullard Space Sci Lab, Dorking, England.; Boston Univ, Boston, MA USA.; Dublin Inst Adv Studies, Sch Cosm Phys, DIAS Dunsink Observ, Dublin, Ireland.; Univ Calif Los Angeles, Dept Earth Planetary & Space Sci, Los Angeles, CA USA.; Univ Iowa, Dept Phys & Astron, Iowa City, IA USA.; Imperial Coll London, Phys Dept, Blackett Lab, London, England. |
| Publication Year: | 2026 |
| Collection: | Uppsala University: Publications (DiVA) |
| Subject Terms: | Enceladus; Saturn; Alfv & Atilde; (c) n-wing; electrodynamic coupling; icy moons; outer planets; Astronomy; Astrophysics and Cosmology; Astronomi; astrofysik och kosmologi; Fusion; Plasma and Space Physics; plasma och rymdfysik |
| Description: | We report in situ evidence for Enceladus' Alfvén wing system and its coupling with Saturn'sionosphere, based on multi‐instrument observations from the Cassini spacecraft. Analysis of 36 events,including 13 from non‐flyby paths, confirms the existence of a Main Alfvén Wing (MAW) current systemgenerated at Enceladus, and associated Reflected Alfvén Wings (RAWs) occurring both at Saturn's ionosphereand on the density gradient of Enceladus' plasma torus, extending longitudinally to at least ∼ 120° (∼2,000moon radii) downstream of the moon. Additionally, the observations reveal the systematic existence of afilamentation process of these large‐scale Alfvénic perturbations (MAW and RAWs) during their propagation atany distance from their source. These findings demonstrate a more extensive electrodynamic coupling thanpreviously reported for Enceladus and more generally for any moon‐magnetosphere interaction. Moreover, theobservation of energetic electron depletions and water‐group ion signatures at longitudes even further from themoon supports the interpretation of an extended and persistent interaction region. These results highlightEnceladus' role in shaping Saturn's magnetospheric environment and underscore the importance of futuremissions to exhaustively analyze this type of complex interaction between a moon and a planet. |
| Document Type: | article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: | application/pdf |
| Language: | English |
| Relation: | Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics, 2169-9380, 2026, 131:2; ISI:001685109000001 |
| DOI: | 10.1029/2025JA034657 |
| Availability: | http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-581815; https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JA034657 |
| Rights: | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Accession Number: | edsbas.FF9D42E2 |
| Database: | BASE |