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Particle and field stress balance within a planetary magnetosphereA technique is developed for experimentally estimating the local tensor stresses within a planetary magnetic field configuration characterized by local spacecraft measurements. Key to the technique is the determination of the shapes of field lines using the symmetry properties of the system coupled with local and instantaneous measurements of the field line inclination angles. The technique is applied here to the inner and middle Saturnian magnetosphere using data returned by the Magnetic Field Experiment on the Voyager 1 spacecraft. It is concluded that the ring current has substantial radial structure, heretofore not shown. Outside about 13 R(s) the newly derived field stresses match remarkably well the funtional variation of the centrifugal corotation stresses of the cool particle population measured previously by the Plasma Science Experiment. Inside about 13 R(s) the key structure in the derived field stresses, a prominent local maximum, matches the approximate position of an apparent strong pressure gradient in the energetic particles characterized by the Low-Energy Charged Particle detectors.
Document ID
19850067055
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Mauk, B. H.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Krimigis, S. M.
(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, United States)
Lepping, R. P.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 12, 2013
Publication Date
September 1, 1985
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 90
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Accession Number
85A49206
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: N000024-78-C-5384
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-154
CONTRACT_GRANT: NASA TASK I
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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