Interaction of the solar wind and stream particles, results from the Cassini dust detector

Abstract

The stream particles are nanometer‐size dust particles ejected from the jovian and the saturnian systems with velocities greater than 100 kms−1. Due to their small size, stream particles are more sensitive to the electromagnetic force than to gravity. It has been shown by the simulations that the stream—particle dynamics in interplanetary space should be dominated by the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) [15]. Based on the measurements by the dust detector on board the Cassini spacecraft, we found that the detection patterns of the stream particles are well correlated with the IMF structures. As the spacecraft crosses the compression regions of the Co—rotation Interaction Regions (CIRs), not only the directionality of the impacts changes with the field direction, but also the impact signal and rate vary with an increase of field strength. By understanding the interaction of stream particles and the solar wind, the data provide important insight to the formation environments of the stream particles and is an unique opportunity to study the dust‐moon‐magnetosphere system of Jupiter and Saturn.