Satellite sweeping of energetic particles at Neptune

The calculation of the absorption rate of charged particles by planetary satellites introduced by Paonessa and Cheng (1987) is generalized to include an arbitrary offset of the dipole center from the planet center, appropriate for Neptune. The absorption rates calculated for particles of fixed L shell, energy, and pitch angle reflect the features of the complicated geometry of the dipole and the moons. This absorption probability is found to be insignificant compared with that of the rings at L shells to which both sets of absorbers map. However, at larger radii the sweeping rate is controlled by the moons, and the corresponding absorption features provide a starting point for understanding the Voyager energetic particle observations.