Solar wind and external magnetospheric boundaries.
Solar wind structure upstream of Saturn
Interplanetary pick-up ions
External boundary regions:
Foreshock, shock, magnetosheath
Structure and dynamics of boundary layers and solar wind plasma entry into the
Kronian magnetosphere:
Low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL), mantle (?)
Average global magnetospheric morphology.
Magnetic field configuration
Distribution of plasma composition, density, temperature, sources and sinks
Investigation of plasma domains and internal boundaries (principal domains to be
listed here)
Global magnetospheric dynamics.
Solar-wind-driven dynamics:
Solar-wind-driven convection, solar wind plasma
input to the magnetosphere, relationship to
auroral emissions and SKR
Rotationally-driven dynamics:
Dynamics of the corotation regions, plasma pick-up,
plasma input to the magnetosphere from satellites
and rings, radial transport of mass and angular momentum
Magnetotail dynamics, substorms, and their effects
Magnetosphere/Ionosphere interactions
Investigation of the high-latitude magnetosphere and its
interaction with Saturn's ionosphere and thermosphere
Auroral phenomena:
Field-aligned currents, auroral potential drops,
particle acceleration, beams, conics, relationship
to auroral emissions and SKR
Role of magnetosphere/ionosphere coupling in the maintenance
of corotation
Plasma input to the magnetosphere from Saturn
Magnetospheric Interaction with Titan.
Plasma input to the magnetosphere from Titan's atmosphere,
exosphere, and neutral torus; ion pick-up
Injection of Titan ionospheric plasma into the magnetosphere:
tail wind, detached plasma blobs, Titan plumes
Effects of Titan interaction on the magnetosphere: generation of a
tail, Alfven wings, magnetic boundaries upstream of Titan in the
magnetosphere and magnetosheath
Magnetospheric interaction with icy satellites.
Plasma input to the magnetosphere form icy satellite surfaces:
sputtering, ion pick-up from the neutral torus
Absorption and loss of trapped particles to satellites
Effects of satellite interaction on magnetospheric particle
dynamics inside and around the satellite flux cube
Magnetospheric interaction with the rings and dust.
Plasma input to the magnetosphere from rings, their atmosphere
and ionosphere
Role of the magnetosphere in the transport of chemical species
(water, etc.) between the rings and Saturn's atmosphere
Role of the magnetosphere in spoke formation and decay
Dust-plasma interactions
Microphysical phenomena.
Wave-particle interactions and generation of Electrostatic and
Electromagnetic emissions from free energy in particle
distribution functions, flows, and gradients
Microphysics of the shock, foreshock, magnetosheath, relation
to high-Mach-number interaction between the solar wind and
magnetosphere
Reconnection signatures in the magnetopause and tail
SKR generation
Microphysics of ion pick-up and associated wave activity and
thermalization processes
TITAN
Effects of magnetospheric interaction on Titan's upper atmosphere.
Ionization and heating by particle precipitation, role
in N2 photolysis and aerosol formation
Loss of Titan's atmosphere by non-thermal processes
Titan's ionosphere.
Particle precipitation as a source for Titan's ionosphere
Magnetization state of Titan's ionosphere
Effect of magnetospheric interaction on ionospheric flows
SATURN
Saturn's ionosphere.
Ionospheric diurnal variations and magnetic control
Sources and sinks of ionospheric plasma: ion
inflow/outflow, particle precipitation
Ionospheric conductivities
Saturn's thermosphere.
Effects of Joule heating and ionospheric drag on
thermospheric dynamics and energetics
Heating by particle precipitation
RINGS
Interactions with the magnetosphere.
Role in spoke formation
Role in ring particle erosion
Dynamics of sub-micron-size particles
Remote sensing of ring particle composition from analysis of sputtered ions or
ionization of sputtered neutrals
ICY SATELLITES
Remote sensing of icy satellite surface composition from the analysis of sputtered
ions and ions from neutral torus pick-up
Mechanisms of surface modification: role of particle bombardment and direct
magnetospheric interaction with surfaces
