A model of force balance in Saturn's magnetodisc

TL;DR

This paper models the magnetic field perturbations caused by plasma discs in Saturn's and Jupiter's magnetospheres, quantifying forces and comparing model predictions with spacecraft data to understand magnetodisc structures.

Contribution

It introduces a scaled Euler potential model for magnetodiscs, incorporating plasma pressure and rotation effects, and applies it to Saturn and Jupiter to analyze their magnetodisc dynamics.

Findings

Magnetic field perturbations are quantified for Saturn and Jupiter.

The model identifies the dominant forces shaping the magnetodiscs.

Comparison with Cassini data validates the model for Saturn.

Abstract

We present calculations of magnetic potential associated with the perturbation of Saturn's magnetic field by a rotating, equatorially-situated disc of plasma. Such structures are central to the dynamics of the rapidly rotating magnetospheres of Saturn and Jupiter. They are `fed' internally by sources of plasma from moons such as Enceladus (Saturn) and Io (Jupiter). We use a scaled form of Euler potentials for the Jovian magnetodisc field (Caudal, 1986). In this formalism, the magnetic field is assumed to be azimuthally symmetric about the planet's axis of rotation, and plasma temperature is constant along a field line. We perturb the dipole potential by using simplified distributions of plasma pressure and angular velocity for both planets, based on observations by Cassini (Saturn) and Voyager (Jupiter). Our results quantify the degree of radial `stretching' exerted on the dipolar field lines through the plasma's rotational motion and pressure. A simplified version of the field model, the `homogeneous disc', can be used to easily estimate the distance of transition in the outer magnetosphere between pressure-dominated and centrifugally-dominated disc structure. We comment on the degree of equatorial confinement as represented by the scale height associated with disc ions of varying mass and temperature. For Saturn, we identify the principal forces which contribute to the magnetodisc current and make comparisons between the field structure predicted by the model and magnetic field measurements from Cassini. For Jupiter, we reproduce Caudal's original calculation in order to validate our model implementation. We also show that compared to Saturn, where plasma pressure gradient is, on average, weaker than centrifugal force, the outer plasmadisc of Jupiter is clearly a pressure-dominated structure.