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| Paper: |
On the Time-dependent Grain Charging and Its Effects on Ring-atmosphere Interactions at Saturn |
| Volume: |
513, Serendipities in the Solar System and Beyond |
| Page: |
177 |
| Authors: |
Hsu, H.-W.; Horányi, M.; Kempf, S. |
| Abstract: |
Infall of charged nanograins from Saturn's main rings is a pathway of ring–atmosphere interactions. It has been shown that grains from the rings may deposit in Saturn's equatorial region or at further south latitudes, depending on their initial charges. However, previous works do not consider the charging history, which may significantly affect the dynamics and therefore the fate of these nanodust grains. Here we present a case study to understand how sensitive the grain dynamics is to the ambient plasma conditions. Our results show that grains would fall into the southern latitudes only if they acquired higher charges, implying that the grain deposition latitude distribution reflects their charging history and could serve as a probe to the ring ionosphere. |
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