Abstract
We interpret the plasma density enhancements observed during the Voyager 1 Titan encounter in terms of a single plume of plasma wrapped around Saturn by corotation. We consider the radial motions of the plume driven by fluctuations in solar wind pressure and the dispersal of the plasma by the centrifugal interchange instability, by heating and by azimuthal acceleration. We show that Saturn cannot readily impose corotation directly on the plume and incidentally, that the total dissipation associated with the Titan‐magnetosphere interaction is insufficient to supply the power to produce the observed Titan ultraviolet airglow. A pickup velocity of 8 km/s is inferred from the observed velocity and a standing wave model. We note that the Voyager plasma observations are consistent with the predictions of the model.
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