The auroral footprint of Enceladus on Saturn

    Authors

    W. R. Pryor; A. M. Rymer; D. G. Mitchell; T. W. Hill; D. T. Young; J. Saur; G. H. Jones; S. Jacobsen; S. W. H. Cowley; B. H. Mauk; A. J. Coates; J. Gustin; D. Grodent; J. C. Gerard; L. Lamy; J. D. Nichols; S. M. Krimigis; L. W. Esposito; M. K. Dougherty; A. J. Jouchoux; A. I. F. Stewart; W. E. McClintock; G. M. Holsclaw; J. M. Ajello; J. E. Colwell; A. R. Hendrix; F. J. Crary; J. T. Clarke;X. Y. Zhou

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Nature

    Keywords

    IO FLUX TUBE; CASSINI; ATMOSPHERE; MAGNETOSPHERE; SPECTROMETER; JUPITER; ORIGIN; PLASMA; PLUME; Multidisciplinary Sciences

    Abstract

    Although there are substantial differences between the magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn, it has been suggested that cryovolcanic activity at Enceladus(1-9) could lead to electrodynamic coupling between Enceladus and Saturn like that which links Jupiter with Io, Europa and Ganymede. Powerful field-aligned electron beams associated with the Io-Jupiter coupling, for example, create an auroral footprint in Jupiter's ionosphere(10,11). Auroral ultraviolet emission associated with Enceladus-Saturn coupling is anticipated to be just a few tenths of a kilorayleigh (ref. 12), about an order of magnitude dimmer than Io's footprint and below the observable threshold, consistent with its non-detection(13). Here we report the detection of magnetic-field-aligned ion and electron beams (offset several moon radii downstream from Enceladus) with sufficient power to stimulate detectable aurora, and the subsequent discovery of Enceladus-associated aurora in a few per cent of the scans of the moon's footprint. The footprint varies in emission magnitude more than can plausibly be explained by changes in magnetospheric parameters-and as such is probably indicative of variable plume activity.

    Journal Title

    Nature

    Volume

    472

    Issue/Number

    7343

    Publication Date

    1-1-2011

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    331

    Last Page

    333

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000289724600035

    ISSN

    0028-0836

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