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The long-anticipated encounter by Voyager 2 (V2) of the region between the heliosphere and the very local interstellar medium (VLISM) occurred toward the end of 2018. Here, we report measurements of energetic (>28 keV) charged particles on V2 from the interface region between the heliosheath, dominated by heated solar wind plasma, and the VLISM, expected to contain cold non-solar plasma and the Galactic magnetic field. The number of particles of solar origin began a gradual decrease on 7 August 2018 (118.2 au), while those of Galactic origin (Galactic cosmic rays) increased ~20% in number over a period of a few weeks. An abrupt change occurred on 5 November when V2 was located at 119 au, with a decrease in the number of particles at energies of >28 keV and a corresponding increase in the number of Galactic cosmic rays of energy E > 213 MeV. This signature of the transition to the VLISM resembles, but is very different from, that observed on Voyager 1 at ~121.6 au, associated with the putative crossing of the heliopause some six years earlier. Measurements of energetic ions and electrons with the Low-Energy Charged Particle instrument on Voyager 2 are presented from the boundary of the heliosphere and from the interstellar medium. Voyager 2’s heliopause crossing bears some similarity to that of Voyager 1, despite differing solar wind conditions.

On 10 January 2001, Cassini briefly entered into the magnetosphere of Jupiter, en route to Saturn. During this excursion into the Jovian magnetosphere, the Cassini Magnetosphere Imaging Instrument/Charge‐Energy‐Mass Spectrometer detected oxygen and sulfur ions. While Charge‐Energy‐Mass Spectrometer can distinguish between oxygen and sulfur charge states directly, only 95.9 ± 2.9 keV/e ions were sampled during this interval, allowing for a long time integration of the tenuous outer magnetospheric (~200 RJ) plasma at one energy. For this brief interval for the 95.9 keV/e ions, 96% of oxygen ions were O+, with the other 4% as O2+, while 25% of the energetic sulfur ions were S+, 42% S2+, and 33% S3+. The S2+/O+ flux ratio was observed to be 0.35 (±0.06 Poisson error)., Key Points Cassini measured the relative charge state abundances of 95.9 keV/e oxygen and sulfur in the outer magnetosphere (~200 RJ) of JupiterThe flux of 95.9 keV/e O+ was higher than that of S2+, with S2+ being the most abundant charge state among sulfur ionsThe relative abundances of 95.9 keV/e heavy ions are compared to thermal ions in the inner to middle magnetosphere

The plumes of Enceladus produce a cloud of neutral H2O molecules and, via dissociation, OH and O. These neutrals are ionized by charge exchange, solar UV, and electron impacts, producing the therma...

We examine long‐term suprathermal, singly charged heavy ion composition measured at three planets using functionally identical charge‐energy‐mass ion spectrometers, one on Geotail, orbiting Earth at ~9–30 Re, the other on Cassini, in interplanetary space, during Jupiter flyby, and then in orbit around Saturn. O+, a principal suprathermal (~80–220 keV/e) heavy ion in each magnetosphere, derives primarily from outflowing ionospheric O+ at Earth, but mostly from satellites and rings at Jupiter and Saturn. Comparable amounts of Iogenic O+ and S+ are present at Jupiter. Ions escaping the magnetospheres: O+ and S+ at Jupiter; C+, N+, O+, H2O+, 28M+ (possibly an aggregate of the molecular ions, MI, CO+, N2+, HCNH+, and/or C2H4+), and O2+ at Saturn; and N+, O+, N2+, NO+, O2+, and Fe+ at Earth. Generally, escaped atomic ions (MI) at Earth and Saturn have similar (higher) ratios to O+ compared to their magnetospheric ratios; Saturn's H2O+ and Fe+ ratios are lower. At Earth, after O+ and N+, ionospheric origin N2+, NO+, and O2+ (with proportions ~0.9:1.0:0.2) dominate magnetospheric heavy ions, consistent with recent high‐altitude/latitude ionospheric measurements and models; average ion count rates correlate positively with geomagnetic and solar activity. At ~27–33 amu/e, Earth's MIs dominate over lunar pickup ions (PUIs) in the magnetosphere; MIs are roughly comparable to lunar PUIs in the magnetosheath, and lunar PUIs dominate over MIs beyond Earth's bow shock. Lunar PUIs are detected at ~39–48 amu/e in the lobe and possibly in the plasma sheet at very low levels.

Between April and the end of its mission on 15 September, Cassini executed a series of 22 very similar 6.5‐day‐period proximal orbits, covering the mid‐latitude region of the nightside magnetosphere. These passes provided us with the opportunity to examine the variability of the nightside plasma sheet within this time scale for the first time. We use Cassini particle and magnetic field data to quantify the magnetospheric dynamics along these orbits, as reflected in the variability of certain relevant plasma parameters, including the energetic ion pressure and partial (hot) plasma beta. We use the University College London/Achilleos‐Guio‐Arridge magnetodisk model to map these quantities to the conjugate magnetospheric equator, thus providing an equivalent equatorial radial profile for these parameters. By quantifying the variation in the plasma parameters, we further identify the different states of the nightside ring current (quiescent and disturbed) in order to confirm and add to the context previously established by analogous studies based on long‐term, near‐equatorial measurements.

Enceladus is the main source of neutral and charged particles in the Saturnian magnetosphere. The particles originate at more than 100 active geysers forming a plume above the south pole of the moon and are continuously released into Saturn’s magnetosphere. Therefore the understanding of the interaction of those particles and the local magnetospheric environment of the moon is very important. One technique to study that interaction is to study the typical motion of charged particles in the perturbed plasma flow and the associated magnetic field lines in the vicinity of the moon especially during close flybys. The Cassini spacecraft flew by Enceladus 23 times between 2005 and 2015 at distances between 25 and 5000 km. During some of the flybys Cassini went directly through the south polar plume. Other flybys happened north of the moon or on high-latitude trajectories with respect to the moon. In this paper we present the energetic electron measurements during those flybys obtained by the Low Energy Magnetosphere Measurement System LEMMS, part of the Magnetosphere Imaging Instrument MIMI onboard Cassini (Krimigis et al., 2004). As already shown in Krupp et al. (2012) for the first 14 flybys MIMI/LEMMS typically observes dropouts in the particle intensities in the region of disturbed field lines and in the presence of the moon itself or dense material blocking the bounce and drift motions of the particles. We present in this paper a continuation of the Krupp et al. (2012) results and add a full classification for all 23 flybys using the full data set of energetic electron measurements of MIMI/LEMMS. We distinguish the observed absorption and dust signatures into four different categories: (1) full absorption signatures when all the particles within a fluxtube connecting the spacecraft with the moon are lost onto the moon during one of the particle motions; (2) partial dropouts (ramp-like feature) when not all the particles inside the fluxtube are lost; (3) short dropouts in the fluxes when particles are suddenly lost for a short period in time; and interpret those features as full or partial losses onto the moon or its environment as a result of different plasma and dust regimes in the vicinity of Enceladus. We compare the results with those of Meier et al. (2014) and Engelhardt et al. (2015); (4) In addition we also show dust-related “false electron” measurements for those flybys when Cassini directly went through the dense regions of the south polar plume. Those “dust-peaks” can be interpreted as the result of impacting dust particles inside the LEMMS aperture or nearby creating a plasma cloud.

The short, 7.2-day orbital period of Cassini’s Ring Grazing Orbits (RGO) provided an opportunity to monitor how fast the effects of an intense magnetospheric storm-time period (days 336–343/2016) propagated into Saturn’s electron radiation belts. Following the storms, Cassini’s MIMI/LEMMS instrument detected a transient extension of the electron radiation belts that in subsequent orbits moved towards the inner belts, intensifying them in the process. This intensification was followed by an equally fast decay, possibly due to the rapid absorption of MeV electrons by the planet’s main rings. Surprisingly, all this cycle was completed within four RGOs, effectively in less than a month. That is considerably faster than the year-long time scales of Saturn’s proton radiation belt evolution. In order to explain this difference, we propose that electron radial transport is partly controlled by the variability of global scale electric fields which have a fixed local time pointing. Such electric fields may distort significantly the orbits of a particular class of energetic electrons that cancel out magnetospheric corotation due to their westward gradient and curvature drifts (termed “corotation-resonant” or “local-time stationary” electrons) and transport them radially between the ring current and the radiation belts within several days and few weeks. The significance of the proposed process is highlighted by the fact that corotation resonance at Saturn occurs for electrons of few hundred keV to several MeV. These are the characteristic energies of seed electrons from the ring current that sustain the radiation belts of the planet. Our model’s feasibility is demonstrated through the use of a simple test-particle simulation, where we estimate that uniform but variable electric fields with magnitudes lower that 1.0 mV/m can lead to a very efficient transport of corotation resonant electrons. Such electric fields have been consistently measured in the magnetosphere, and here we provide additional evidence showing that they may be constantly present all the way down to the outer edge of Saturn’s main rings, further supporting our model. The implications of our findings are not limited to Saturn. Corotation resonance at Jupiter occurs for electrons with energies above about 10 MeV throughout the quasi-dipolar, energetic particle-trapping region of the magnetosphere. The proposed process could in principle then lead to rapid transport and adiabatic acceleration electrons into ultra-relativistic energies. The observation by Galileo’s EPD/LEMMS instrument of an intense Jovian acceleration event at the orbital distance of Ganymede during the mission’s C22 orbit, when > 11 MeV electron fluxes were preferentially enhanced, provides additional support to our transport model and insights on the origin of that orbit’s extreme energetic electron environment. Finally, if the mode of radial transport that we describe here is a dominant one, radial diffusion coefficients (DLL) would be subject to strong energy, pitch angle and species dependencies.

The lack of an upstream solar wind monitor poses a major challenge to any study that investigates the influence of the solar wind on the configuration and the dynamics of Saturn’s magnetosphere. Here we show how Cassini MIMI/LEMMS observations of Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) and Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) transients, that are both linked to energetic processes in the heliosphere such us Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections (ICMEs) and Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs), can be used to trace enhanced solar wind conditions at Saturn’s distance. SEP protons can be easily distinguished from magnetospheric ions, particularly at the MeV energy range. Many SEPs are also accompanied by strong GCR Forbush Decreases. GCRs are detectable as a low count-rate noise signal in a large number of LEMMS channels. As SEPs and GCRs can easily penetrate into the outer and middle magnetosphere, they can be monitored continuously, even when Cassini is not situated in the solar wind. A survey of the MIMI/LEMMS dataset between 2004 and 2016 resulted in the identification of 46 SEP events. Most events last more than two weeks and have their lowest occurrence rate around the extended solar minimum between 2008 and 2010, suggesting that they are associated to ICMEs rather than CIRs, which are the main source of activity during the declining phase and the minimum of the solar cycle. We also list of 17 time periods ( > 50 days each) where GCRs show a clear solar periodicity ( ∼ 13 or 26 days). The 13-day period that derives from two CIRs per solar rotation dominates over the 26-day period in only one of the 17 cases catalogued. This interval belongs to the second half of 2008 when expansions of Saturn’s electron radiation belts were previously reported to show a similar periodicity. That observation not only links the variability of Saturn’s electron belts to solar wind processes, but also indicates that the source of the observed periodicity in GCRs may be local. In this case GCR measurements can be used to provide the phase of CIRs at Saturn. We further demonstrate the utility of our survey results by determining that: (a) Magnetospheric convection induced by solar wind disturbances associated with SEPs is a necessary driver for the formation of transient radiation belts that were observed throughout Saturn’s magnetosphere on several occasions during 2005 and on day 105 of 2012. (b) An enhanced solar wind perturbation period that is connected to an SEP of day 332/2013 was the definite source of a strong magnetospheric compression which led to open flux loading in the magnetotail. Finally, we propose how the event lists can define the basis for single case studies or statistical investigations on how Saturn and its moons (particularly Titan) respond to extreme solar wind conditions or on the transport of SEPs and GCRs in the heliosphere.

Previous observations have driven the prevailing assumption in the field that energetic ions measured by an instrument using a bare solid state detector (SSD) are predominantly protons. However, new near-equatorial energetic particle observations obtained between 7 and 12 RE during Phase 1 of the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission challenge the validity of this assumption. In particular, measurements by the Energetic Ion Spectrometer (EIS) instruments have revealed that the intensities of heavy ion species (specifically oxygen and helium) dominate those of protons at energies ≳150–220 keV in the middle to outer (>7 RE) magnetosphere. Given that relative composition measurements can drift as sensors degrade in gain, quality cross-calibration agreement between EIS observations and those from the SSD-based Fly's Eye Energetic Particle Spectrometer (FEEPS) sensors provides critical support to the veracity of the measurement. Similar observations from the Radiation Belt Storm Probes Ion Composition Experiment (RBSPICE) instruments aboard the Van Allen Probes spacecraft extend the ion composition measurements into the middle magnetosphere and reveal a strongly proton-dominated environment at L≲6 but decreasing proton intensities at L≳6. It is concluded that the intensity dominance of the heavy ions at higher energies (>150 keV) arises from the existence of significant populations of multiply-charged heavy ions, presumably of solar wind origin.

We analyze particle and magnetic field data obtained between July 2004 and December 2013 in the equatorial magnetosphere of Saturn, by the Cassini spacecraft. The radial and local time distribution of the total (thermal and suprathermal) particle pressure and total plasma beta (ratio of particle to magnetic pressure) over radial distances from 5 to 16 Saturn radii (RS = 60,258 km) is presented. The average azimuthal current density Jϕ and its separate components (inertial, pressure gradient, and anisotropy) are computed as a function of radial distance and local time and presented as equatorial maps. We explore the relative contribution of different physical mechanisms that drive the ring current at Saturn. Results show that (a) the particle pressure is controlled by thermal plasma inside of ~8 RS and by the hot ions beyond ~12 RS, exhibiting strong local time asymmetry with higher pressures measured at the dusk and night sectors; (b) the plasma beta increases with radial distance and remains >1 beyond 8–10 RS for all local times; (c) the ring current is asymmetric in local time and forms a maximum region between ~7 and ~13 RS, with values up to 100–115 pA/m2; and (d) the ring current is inertial everywhere inside of 7 RS, exhibits a mixed nature between 7 and 11 RS and is pressure gradient driven beyond 11 RS, with the exception of the noon sector where the mixed nature persists. In the dawn sector, it appears strongly pressure gradient driven for a wider range of radial distance, consistent with fast return flow of hot, tenuous magnetospheric plasma following tail reconnection.

Cassini's final phase of exploration The Cassini spacecraft spent 13 years orbiting Saturn; as it ran low on fuel, the trajectory was changed to sample regions it had not yet visited. A series of orbits close to the rings was followed by a Grand Finale orbit, which took the spacecraft through the gap between Saturn and its rings before the spacecraft was destroyed when it entered the planet's upper atmosphere. Six papers in this issue report results from these final phases of the Cassini mission. Dougherty et al. measured the magnetic field close to Saturn, which implies a complex multilayer dynamo process inside the planet. Roussos et al. detected an additional radiation belt trapped within the rings, sustained by the radioactive decay of free neutrons. Lamy et al. present plasma measurements taken as Cassini flew through regions emitting kilometric radiation, connected to the planet's aurorae. Hsu et al. determined the composition of large, solid dust particles falling from the rings into the planet, whereas Mitchell et al. investigated the smaller dust nanograins and show how they interact with the planet's upper atmosphere. Finally, Waite et al. identified molecules in the infalling material and directly measured the composition of Saturn's atmosphere. Science , this issue p. eaat5434 , p. eaat1962 , p. eaat2027 , p. eaat3185 , p. eaat2236 , p. eaat2382

Cassini's final phase of exploration The Cassini spacecraft spent 13 years orbiting Saturn; as it ran low on fuel, the trajectory was changed to sample regions it had not yet visited. A series of orbits close to the rings was followed by a Grand Finale orbit, which took the spacecraft through the gap between Saturn and its rings before the spacecraft was destroyed when it entered the planet's upper atmosphere. Six papers in this issue report results from these final phases of the Cassini mission. Dougherty et al. measured the magnetic field close to Saturn, which implies a complex multilayer dynamo process inside the planet. Roussos et al. detected an additional radiation belt trapped within the rings, sustained by the radioactive decay of free neutrons. Lamy et al. present plasma measurements taken as Cassini flew through regions emitting kilometric radiation, connected to the planet's aurorae. Hsu et al. determined the composition of large, solid dust particles falling from the rings into the planet, whereas Mitchell et al. investigated the smaller dust nanograins and show how they interact with the planet's upper atmosphere. Finally, Waite et al. identified molecules in the infalling material and directly measured the composition of Saturn's atmosphere. Science , this issue p. eaat5434 , p. eaat1962 , p. eaat2027 , p. eaat3185 , p. eaat2236 , p. eaat2382

This article reviews the different sources of plasma for Saturn’s magnetosphere, as they are known essentially from the scientific results of the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and Titan. At low and medium energies, the main plasma source is the \(\mathrm{H}_{2}\mathrm{O}\) cloud produced by the “geyser” activity of the small satellite Enceladus. Impact ionization of this cloud occurs to produce on the order of 100 kg/s of fresh plasma, a source which dominates all the other ones: Titan (which produces much less plasma than anticipated before the Cassini mission), the rings, the solar wind (a poorly known source due to the lack of quantitative knowledge of the degree of coupling between the solar wind and Saturn’s magnetosphere), and the ionosphere. At higher energies, energetic particles are produced by energy diffusion and acceleration of lower energy plasma produced by the interchange instabilities induced by the rapid rotation of Saturn, and possibly, for the highest energy range, by contributions from the CRAND process acting inside Saturn’s magnetosphere. Discussion of the transport and acceleration processes acting on these plasma sources shows the importance of rotation-induced radial transport and energization of the plasma, and also shows how much the unexpected planetary modulation of essentially all plasma parameters of Saturn’s magnetosphere remains an unexplained mystery.

Measurements in Saturn's equatorial magnetosphere from mid-2004 through 2013 made by Cassini's charge-energy-mass ion spectrometer indicate the presence of a rare, suprathermal (83–167 keV/e) ion species at Saturn with mass ~56 amu that is likely Fe+. The abundance of Fe+ is only ~10−4 relative to that of W+ (O+, OH+, H2O+, and H3O+), the water group ions which dominate Saturn's suprathermal and thermal ions along with H+ and H2+. The radial variation of the Fe+ partial number density (PND) is distinctly different from that of W+ and most ions that comprise Saturn's suprathermal ion populations which, unlike thermal energy plasma ions, typically have a prominent PND peak at ~8–9 Rs (1 Saturn radius, Rs = 60,268 km). In contrast, the Fe+ PND decreases more or less exponentially from ~4 to ~20 Rs, our study's inner and outer limits. Fe+ may originate from metal layers produced by meteoric ablation near Saturn's mesosphere-ionosphere boundary and/or possibly impacted interplanetary dust particles or the Saturn system's dark material in the main rings.

After 9 years in the Saturn system, the Cassini spacecraft finally observed Titan in the supersonic and super-Alfvenic solar wind. These unique observations reveal that Titan's interaction with the solar wind is in many ways similar to unmagnetized planets Mars and Venus and active comets in spite of the differences in the properties of the solar plasma in the outer solar system. In particular, Cassini detected a collisionless, supercritical bow shock and a well-defined induced magnetosphere filled with mass-loaded interplanetary magnetic field lines, which drape around Titan's ionosphere. Although the flyby altitude may not allow the detection of an ionopause, Cassini reports enhancements of plasma density compatible with plasma clouds or streamers in the flanks of its induced magnetosphere or due to an expansion of the induced magnetosphere. Because of the upstream conditions, these observations may be also relevant to other bodies in the outer solar system such as Pluto, where kinetic processes are expected to dominate.

Suprathermal (87–212 keV/e) singly charged iron, Fe⁺, has been discovered in and near Earth's ~9–30 RE equatorial magnetosphere using ~21 years of Geotail STICS (suprathermal ion composition spectrometer) data. Its detection is enhanced during higher geomagnetic and solar activity levels. Fe⁺, rare compared to dominant suprathermal solar wind and ionospheric origin heavy ions, might derive from one or all three candidate lower‐energy sources: (a) ionospheric outflow of Fe⁺ escaped from ion layers near ~100 km altitude, (b) charge exchange of nominal solar wind iron, Fe⁺≥⁷, in Earth's exosphere, or (c) inner source pickup Fe⁺ carried by the solar wind, likely formed by solar wind Fe interaction with near‐Sun interplanetary dust particles. Earth's semipermanent ionospheric Fe⁺ layers derive from tons of interplanetary dust particles entering Earth's atmosphere daily, and Fe⁺ scattered from these layers is observed up to ~1000 km altitude, likely escaping in strong ionospheric outflows. Using ~26% of STICS's magnetosphere‐dominated data when possible Fe⁺² ions are not masked by other ions, we demonstrate that solar wind Fe charge exchange secondaries are not an obvious Fe⁺ source. Contemporaneous Earth flyby and cruise data from charge‐energy‐mass spectrometer on the Cassini spacecraft, a functionally identical instrument, show that inner source pickup Fe⁺ is likely not important at suprathermal energies. Consequently, we suggest that ionospheric Fe⁺ constitutes at least a significant portion of Earth's suprathermal Fe⁺, comparable to the situation at Saturn where suprathermal Fe⁺ is also likely of ionospheric origin.

Water group ions W+ (O+, OH+, H2O+, and H3O+), along with H+ and H2+, dominate Saturn's near-equatorial magnetospheric suprathermal ion populations. The singly charged, minor heavy ions O2+ and 28M+ were also observed in the suprathermal energy range, but at much lower densities, having ≤10−2 the abundance of W+. From 2004 through 2013, Cassini's charge-energy-mass ion spectrometer has measured suprathermal 83–167 keV/e heavy ions at ~4–20 Rs (1 Saturn radius, Rs = 60,268 km). Christon et al. (2013) found apparent O2+/W+ transient and seasonal responses to variable insolation of Saturn's ring atmosphere prior to mid-2012. A similar seasonal variation in 28M+/W+ (28M+ ~27–30 amu/e molecular minor ions) was suggested but inconclusive. Now with data from mid-2012 through 2013, we find that both O2+ and 28M+ clearly exhibit seasonal recoveries from mid-2012 onward. Prominent radial partial number density peaks at ~9 Rs identify W+, O2+, and 28M+ as clear ring current participants. It is presently unclear which part of Saturn's magnetosphere produces the seasonally varying 28M+ component. Dissimilar 28M+/W+ and O2+/W+ responses to a strong late 2011 solar UV burst suggest different seasonal ring-based photolytic processes.

[1] We show that the neutral gas vertical distribution at Saturn must be ~3–4 times more extended than previously thought for the >5 RSregions, while the neutral H distribution is consistent with H densities that reach up to ~150/cm3close to the orbit of Titan. We utilize a technique to retrieve the global neutral gas distribution in Saturn's magnetosphere, using energetic ion and energetic neutral atom (ENA) measurements, obtained by the Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI) onboard the Cassini spacecraft. Our ENA measurements are consistent with a neutral cloud that consists of H2O, OH, H, and O, while the overall shapes and densities numbers concerning the neutral gas distributions are constrained according to already existing models as well as recent observations. The neutral gas distribution at Saturn is determined by simulating a 24–55 keV hydrogen image of the Saturnian magnetosphere, measured by the Ion and Neutral Camera (INCA), averaged over the time period from 1 July 2004 to 23 August 2005. The ionic input of the model includes a proton distribution of combined Charge Energy Mass Spectrometer (CHEMS, 3–230 keV/e), Low Energy Magnetospheric Measurements System (LEMMS, 30.7 keV to 2.3 MeV), and INCA (5–300 keV) in situ measurements. These measurements cover several passes from 1 July 2004 to 10 April 2007, at various local times over the dipole L range 5

[1] Suprathermal singly charged molecular ions, O2+ (at ~32 Da/e) and the Mass-28 ion group 28M+ (ions at ~28 Da/e, with possible contributions from C2H5+, HCNH+, N2+, and/or CO+), are present throughout Saturn's ~4–20 Rs (1 Saturn radius, Rs = 60,268 km) near-equatorial magnetosphere from mid-2004 until mid-2012. These ~83–167 keV/e heavy ions measured by Cassini's CHarge-Energy-Mass Spectrometer have long-term temporal profiles that differ from each other and differ relative to the dominant water group ions, W+ (O+, OH+, H2O+, and H3O+). O2+/W+, initially ~0.05, declined steadily until equinox in mid-2009 by a factor of ~6, and 28M+/W+, initially ~0.007, declined similarly until early-2007 by a factor of ~2. The O2+/W+ decline is consistent with Cassini's in situ ring-ionosphere thermal ion measurements, and with proposed and modeled seasonal photolysis of Saturn's rings for thermal O2 and O2+. The water ice-dominated main rings and Enceladus plume depositions thereon are the two most likely O2+ sources. Enceladus' dynamic plumes, though, have no known long-term dependence. After declining, O2+/W+ and 28M+/W+ levels remained low until late-2011 when O2+/W+ increased, but 28M+/W+ did not. The O2+/W+ increase was steady and became statistically significant by mid-2012, indicating a clear increase after a decline, that is, a possibly delayed O2+ “seasonal” recovery. Ring insolation is driven by solar UV flux which itself varies with the sun's 11 year activity cycle. The O2+/W+ and 28M+/W+ declines are consistent with seasonal ring insolation. No O2+/W+ response to the late-2008 solar-cycle UV minimum and recovery is evident. However, the O2+/W+ recovery from the postequinox baseline levels in late-2011 coincided with a strong solar UV enhancement. We suggest a scenario/framework in which the O2+ observations can be understood.

[1] Energetic protons (2.8–78 keV) and water group ions (8.8–78 keV) observed in Saturn's magnetosphere using the Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument/Charge-Energy-Mass Spectrometer instrument from 2005 through 2012 were subjected to a Lomb periodogram analysis with the period window extending from 0.5 to 50 days, and the data constrained to the spatial region between 10 RS (1 RS = 60,268 km) and the magnetopause. Both the protons and water group ions exhibited solar periodicity at ~26 days and harmonics thereof. For all ions, the 26 day periodicities were strong on the dayside and duskside, weak at dusk, and virtually nonexistent on the nightside. The solar periodicity was evident during both the first and second halves of the 7 year time span, but strongest in the first half from January 2004 to July 2008. Some of the ion spectral peaks, especially for the water group ions, can be associated with orbital motion of the spacecraft. The 26 day periodicities are likely caused by corotating interaction regions in the solar wind that periodically sweep past Saturn, regularly compressing its dayside magnetosphere, but not its nightside.

[1] We analyze plasma, energetic particle, and magnetic field data from all available Cassini passes through the Saturnian magnetosheath between July 2004 and July 2011 and provide a statistical overview of particle and field properties. The results show that magnetosheath plasma has an average number density of ~0.1 cm−3 and a temperature of ~300 eV. The measured magnetic field strength is ~1 nT, and the plasma beta is in the range of 10 to 100. The prevailing flow and magnetic field configuration is close to that theoretically expected, with flow speed values of ~200 km/s. Compositional data reveal that although at low energies ( few keV) there is a strong presence of water group ions (W+) forming localized structures we refer to as W+ “islands” that travel downstream convected in the plasma flow. Under average magnetic field conditions in the Saturnian magnetosheath, the kinetic properties of these hot W+ ions can enable escape upstream from the bow shock. Based on the measured particle and field distributions and the modeled bow shock and magnetopause positions, we describe the energetic ion escape as a function of energy and pitch angle and successfully predict the energy distribution of the escaping W+ ions. Comparison with the ion spectra measured in the nearby solar wind confirms that the suggested escape mechanism due to large ion gyroradii is sufficient to explain the observed leakage of heavy energetic ions upstream from the Saturnian bow shock.

This article reviews the different sources of plasma for Saturn’s magnetosphere, as they are known essentially from the scientific results of the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and Titan. At low and medium energies, the main plasma source is the \(\mathrm{H}_{2}\mathrm{O}\) cloud produced by the “geyser” activity of the small satellite Enceladus. Impact ionization of this cloud occurs to produce on the order of 100 kg/s of fresh plasma, a source which dominates all the other ones: Titan (which produces much less plasma than anticipated before the Cassini mission), the rings, the solar wind (a poorly known source due to the lack of quantitative knowledge of the degree of coupling between the solar wind and Saturn’s magnetosphere), and the ionosphere. At higher energies, energetic particles are produced by energy diffusion and acceleration of lower energy plasma produced by the interchange instabilities induced by the rapid rotation of Saturn, and possibly, for the highest energy range, by contributions from the CRAND process acting inside Saturn’s magnetosphere. Discussion of the transport and acceleration processes acting on these plasma sources shows the importance of rotation-induced radial transport and energization of the plasma, and also shows how much the unexpected planetary modulation of essentially all plasma parameters of Saturn’s magnetosphere remains an unexplained mystery.

The MIMI experiment (Magnetosphere Imaging Instrument) onboard Cassini is dedicated to the study of energetic particles, with in particular LEMMS analyzing charged particles, or the INCA detector which can image the Energetic Neutral Atoms produced by charge exchange collisions between cold neutrals and energetic ions. The MIMI experiment is thus well adapted to the study of the interaction between the Titan nitrogen rich atmosphere and the energetic Saturnian magnetospheric plasma. We analyze here the energetic protons at the Titan orbit crossings before January 2008 (MIMI-LEMMS data; 27–255 keV), which are very dynamic, with tri-modal flux spectra and probably quasi-isotropic pitch angle distributions. We provide statistical parameters for the proton fluxes, leading to estimates of the average energy deposition into Titan's atmosphere, before we discuss the possible influence of Titan on the magnetopause. We then analyze the H ENA images (24–55 keV) during the Titan flybys before June 2006 to obtain a better diagnostic of the Titan interaction: the ENAs variability is mostly related to the magnetospheric variability (the exosphere being roughly stable) or the distance from the moon, the ENAs halo around Titan is very stable (corresponding to a lower limit for ENAs emission at the exobase), and strong asymmetries are observed, due to finite gyroradii effects for the parent ions.

The existence of energetic particle events to ∼200 RS upstream and ∼1300 RS downstream of Saturn was established during the Voyager 1, 2 flybys in 1980 and 1981, respectively. The origin of the events could not be determined with certainty because of lack of particle charge state and species measurements at lower ( 80 RS. The events exhibited the following characteristics: (1) hydrogen ion bursts are observed in the energy range 3–220 keV (and occasionally to E>220 keV) and oxygen ion bursts in the energy range 32 to ∼700 keV. (2) Pitch angle distributions are initially anisotropic with ions moving away from the bow shock along the IMF, but tend to isotropize as the event progresses in time. (3) The duration of the ion bursts is several minutes up to 4 h. (4) The event examined in this study contains significant fluxes of singly charged oxygen. (5) Ion bursts are accompanied by distinct diamagnetic field depressions with β>10, and exhibit wave structures consistent with ion cyclotron waves for O+ and O++. Given the magnetic field configuration during the detection of the events and that energetic ions trapped within the magnetosphere of Saturn are H+, H2+ and various water products including O+, O++, we conclude that O-rich upstream events must be particles leaking from Saturn's magnetosphere under favorable IMF conditions. The spectral evolution of the upstream events and their anisotropy characteristics are discussed in the context of current models.

In July 2004 the Cassini spacecraft began its orbital tour in the Saturnian system and performed 74 orbits during the nominal mission (July 2004–July 2008) providing data from nearly all local times at various distances and latitudes relative to the planet. The particles and field instruments onboard the spacecraft were essentially operating continuously offering the possibility to study the global configuration and the dynamics of the second largest magnetosphere in our solar system extensively. One of those instruments aboard Cassini is the Low Energy Magnetospheric Measurement System (LEMMS), one of three particle detectors of the Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI). MIMI/LEMMS measures the intensity, energy spectra and pitch angle distributions of energetic ions ( E > 30 keV ) and electrons ( E > 20 keV ) separately. The measured energetic particle distributions together with the measured magnetic field provide a very powerful tool to investigate the Saturnian magnetosphere in those regions covered by the Cassini orbits. This paper will give an overview of the energetic particle measurements of the MIMI/LEMMS sensor in the Saturnian system. In the first part of the paper synoptic maps will be shown where all the data are presented as a function of various trajectory parameters of the spacecraft. Secondly bi-directional electron distributions along the magnetic field direction will be described as a feature in the Saturnian system. Thirdly the particle parameters in the inner magnetosphere with absorption signatures of the various moons are presented. Fourthly it will be shown that the region around about 15 R S seems to be a characteristic region where depletion signatures in energetic particle distributions are very often observed. At the end of this work a 60 min intensity periodicity in the MIMI/LEMMS data is discussed.

We measured quiet-time differential intensities of ~2-60 keV nucleon–1 He+ and He++ during the 1999-2004, 1-9 AU portion of Cassini's interplanetary cruise to Saturn and found that the He+/He++ composition ratio grows as the distance from the Sun r increases. An increase in the ratio is expected from the theoretical pickup ion and solar wind intensities, but the absolute He+ intensity, counter to the predicted falling r –1 dependence of the density, is actually slightly increasing, and He++ falls off much more slowly than the r –2 dependence one might expect from a population with a solar source. With an approximately r 2.2 radial dependence, our rigorous numerical transport and acceleration model (with stochastic acceleration) matches the higher-energy (>13 keV nucleon–1) measured He+/He++ composition profiles well, as does our analytical theory. Two acceleration processes are likely needed: the composition ratios are explainable by stochastic acceleration while a velocity-dependent mechanism that acts beyond 1 AU equally on He+ and He++ is required to explain the spatial intensity profiles.

We present Cassini data revealing that protons between a few keV and about 100 keV energy are not stably trapped in Saturn's inner magnetosphere. Instead these ions are present only for relatively short times following injections. Injected protons are lost principally because the neutral gas cloud converts these particles to energetic neutral atoms via charge exchange. At higher energies, in the MeV to GeV range, protons are stably trapped between the orbits of the principal moons because the proton cross-section for charge exchange is very small at such energies. These protons likely result from cosmic ray albedo neutron decay (CRAND) and are lost principally to interactions with satellite surfaces and ring particles during magnetospheric radial diffusion. A main result of this work is to show that the dominant energetic proton loss and source processes are a function of proton energy. Surface sputtering by keV ions is revisited based on the reduced ion intensities observed. Relatively speaking, MeV ion and electron weathering is most important closer to Saturn, e.g. at Janus and Mimas, whereas keV ion weathering is most important farther out, at Dione and Rhea.

We present unique observations obtained by the Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI) on the Cassini spacecraft, of the energetic ion population in the environment upstream from the dawn-to-noon sector of the Kronian magnetosphere during the approach phase and subsequent several orbits of the Cassini spacecraft around the planet. High sensitivity observations of energetic ion directional intensities, energy spectra, and ion composition were obtained by the Ion and Neutral Camera (INCA) of the MIMI instrument complement with a geometry factor of ~2.5 cm2sr. Charge state information was provided by the Charge-Energy-Mass-Spectrometer (CHEMS) over the range ~3 to 220 keV per charge. The observations revealed the presence of distinct upstream bursts of energetic hydrogen and oxygen ions up to distances of ~135 RS. The observations are presented and their theoretical implications are addressed.

Broad regions on both sides of the solar wind termination shock are populated by high intensities of non-thermal ions and electrons. The pre-shock particles in the solar wind have been measured by the spacecraft Voyager 1 (refs 1-5) and Voyager 2 (refs 3, 6). The post-shock particles in the heliosheath have also been measured by Voyager 1 (refs 3-5). It was not clear, however, what effect these particles might have on the physics of the shock transition until Voyager 2 crossed the shock on 31 August-1 September 2007 (refs 7-9). Unlike Voyager 1, Voyager 2 is making plasma measurements. Data from the plasma and magnetic field instruments on Voyager 2 indicate that non-thermal ion distributions probably have key roles in mediating dynamical processes at the termination shock and in the heliosheath. Here we report that intensities of low-energy ions measured by Voyager 2 produce non-thermal partial ion pressures in the heliosheath that are comparable to (or exceed) both the thermal plasma pressures and the scalar magnetic field pressures. We conclude that these ions are the >0.028 MeV portion of the non-thermal ion distribution that determines the termination shock structure and the acceleration of which extracts a large fraction of bulk-flow kinetic energy from the incident solar wind.

The idea that there is a ring current of trapped particles encircling the Earth at high altitudes first emerged in the early part of the twentieth century. The idea proved right, and measurements of the current's extent and composition were made in 1957. Ring currents of a different nature were later observed at Jupiter and inferred at Saturn. The magnetospheric imaging instrument on the Cassini probe has now obtained images of the ring current at Saturn. The current is highly variable, with strong longitudinal asymmetries that corotate nearly rigidly with the planet. This contrasts with Earth's ring current, where there is no rotational modulation and initial asymmetries depend on local effects. The concept of an electrical current encircling the Earth at high altitudes was first proposed in 1917 to explain the depression of the horizontal component of the Earth’s magnetic field during geomagnetic storms1,2,3,4. In situ measurements of the extent and composition of this current were made some 50 years later5 and an image was obtained in 2001 (ref. 6). Ring currents of a different nature were observed at Jupiter7,8 and their presence inferred at Saturn9,10. Here we report images of the ring current at Saturn, together with a day–night pressure asymmetry and tilt of the planet’s plasma sheet, based on measurements using the magnetospheric imaging instrument (MIMI) on board Cassini. The ring current can be highly variable with strong longitudinal asymmetries that corotate nearly rigidly with the planet. This contrasts with the Earth’s ring current, where there is no rotational modulation and initial asymmetries are organized by local time effects.

Titan's nitrogen-rich atmosphere is directly bombarded by energetic ions, due to its lack of a significant intrinsic magnetic field. Singly charged energetic ions from Saturn magnetosphere undergo charge exchange collisions with neutral atoms in Titan's exosphere, being transformed into energetic neutral atoms (ENAs). The ion and neutral camera (INCA), one of the three sensors that comprise the magnetosphere imaging instrument on the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn and Titan, images the ENA emissions from various ion/gas interaction regions in the Saturnian magnetosphere. During Cassinis second orbit around Saturn the spacecraft performed the Ta Titan flyby (26 October 2004), at an altitude of only 1174 km. INCA data acquired during this targeted close flyby not only confirm model predictions of dominant finite ion gyroradii effects, but also reveal a much more complex interaction. These observations are analyzed and compared to simulations. A new Titan exosphere model is then proposed.

Voyager 1 (V1) began measuring precursor energetic ions and electrons from the heliospheric termination shock (TS) in July 2002. During the ensuing 2.5 years, average particle intensities rose as V1 penetrated deeper into the energetic particle foreshock of the TS. Throughout 2004, V1 observed even larger, fluctuating intensities of ions from 40 kiloelectron volts (keV) to ≥50 megaelectron volts per nucleon and of electrons from >26 keV to ≥350 keV. On day 350 of 2004 (2004/350), V1 observed an intensity spike of ions and electrons that was followed by a sustained factor of 10 increase at the lowest energies and lesser increases at higher energies, larger than any intensities since V1 was at 15 astronomical units in 1982. The estimated solar wind radial flow speed was positive (outward) at ∼+100 kilometers per second (km s –1 ) from 2004/352 until 2005/018, when the radial flows became predominantly negative (sunward) and fluctuated between ∼–50 and 0 km s –1 until about 2005/110; they then became more positive, with recent values (2005/179) of ∼+50 km s –1 . The energetic proton spectrum averaged over the postshock period is apparently dominated by strongly heated interstellar pickup ions. We interpret these observations as evidence that V1 was crossed by the TS on 2004/351 (during a tracking gap) at 94.0 astronomical units, evidently as the shock was moving radially inward in response to decreasing solar wind ram pressure, and that V1 has remained in the heliosheath until at least mid-2005.

The magnetospheric imaging instrument (MIMI) is a neutral and charged particle detection system on the Cassini orbiter spacecraft designed to perform both global imaging and in-situ measurements to study the overall configuration and dynamics of Saturn’s magnetosphere and its interactions with the solar wind, Saturn’s atmosphere, Titan, and the icy satellites. The processes responsible for Saturn’s aurora will be investigated; a search will be performed for substorms at Saturn; and the origins of magnetospheric hot plasmas will be determined. Further, the Jovian magnetosphere and Io torus will be imaged during Jupiter flyby. The investigative approach is twofold. (1) Perform remote sensing of the magnetospheric energetic (E > 7 keV) ion plasmas by detecting and imaging charge-exchange neutrals, created when magnetospheric ions capture electrons from ambient neutral gas. Such escaping neutrals were detected by the Voyager 1 spacecraft outside Saturn’s magnetosphere and can be used like photons to form images of the emitting regions, as has been demonstrated at Earth. (2) Determine through in-situ measurements the 3-D particle distribution functions including ion composition and charge states (E > 3 keV/e). The combination of in-situ measurements with global images, together with analysis and interpretation techniques that include direct “forward modeling” and deconvolution by tomography, is expected to yield a global assessment of magnetospheric structure and dynamics, including (a) magnetospheric ring currents and hot plasma populations, (b) magnetic field distortions, (c) electric field configuration, (d) particle injection boundaries associated with magnetic storms and substorms, and (e) the connection of the magnetosphere to ionospheric altitudes. Titan and its torus will stand out in energetic neutral images throughout the Cassini orbit, and thus serve as a continuous remote probe of ion flux variations near 20R S (e.g., magnetopause crossings and substorm plasma injections). The Titan exosphere and its cometary interaction with magnetospheric plasmas will be imaged in detail on each flyby. The three principal sensors of MIMI consists of an ion and neutral camera (INCA), a charge-energy-mass-spectrometer (CHEMS) essentially identical to our instrument flown on the ISTP/Geotail spacecraft, and the low energy magnetospheric measurements system (LEMMS), an advanced design of one of our sensors flown on the Galileo spacecraft. The INCA head is a large geometry factor (G ~ 2.4 cm2 sr) foil time-of-flight (TOF) camera that separately registers the incident direction of either energetic neutral atoms (ENA) or ion species (≥5° full width half maximum) over the range 7 keV/nuc < E < 3 MeV/nuc. CHEMS uses electrostatic deflection, TOF, and energy measurement to determine ion energy, charge state, mass, and 3-D anisotropy in the range 3 ≤ E ≤ 220 keV/e with good (~0.05 cm2 sr) sensitivity. LEMMS is a two-ended telescope that measures ions in the range 0.03 ≤ E ≤ 18 MeV and electrons 0.015 ≤ E < 0.884 MeV in the forward direction (G ~ 0.02 cm2 sr), while high energy electrons (0.1–5 MeV) and ions (1.6–160 MeV) are measured from the back direction (G ~ 0.4 cm2 sr). The latter are relevant to inner magnetosphere studies of diffusion processes and satellite microsignatures as well as cosmic ray albedo neutron decay (CRAND). Our analyses of Voyager energetic neutral particle and Lyman-a measurements show that INCA will provide statistically significant global magnetospheric images from a distance of ~60 RS every 2–3 h (every ~10 min from ~20 RS). Moreover, during Titan flybys, INCA will provide images of the interaction of the Titan exosphere with the Saturn magnetosphere every 1.5 min. Time resolution for charged particle measurements can be

The outer limit of the Solar System is often considered to be at the distance from the Sun where the solar wind changes from supersonic to subsonic flow1. Theory predicts that a termination shock marks this boundary, with locations ranging2 from a few to over 100 au (1 au ≈ 1.5 × 108 km, the distance from Earth to the Sun). ‘Pick-up ions’ that originate3,4 as interstellar neutral atoms should be accelerated to tens of MeV at the termination shock, generating anomalous cosmic rays5,6,7. Here we report a large increase in the intensity of energetic particles in the outer heliosphere, as measured by an instrument on the Voyager 1 spacecraft. We argue that the spacecraft exited the supersonic solar wind and passed into the subsonic region (possibly beyond the termination shock) on about 1 August 2002 at a distance of ∼85 au (heliolatitude ∼34° N), then re-entered the supersonic solar wind about 200 days later at ∼87 au from the Sun. We show that the composition of the ions accelerated at the putative termination shock is that of anomalous cosmic rays and of interstellar pick-up ions.

We discuss recent progress toward identifying and understanding low-energy, heavy-ion measurements from the Low Energy Charged Particle (LECP) instruments on the heliospheric probes Voyagers 1 and 2. These heavy-ion signatures, which we interpret as pickup oxygen ions, appear as excess counts in the sunward viewing sectors (22.5° half-angle) of three, single-parameter ion channels that respond to protons ∼30–140 keV and oxygen ions ∼4–14 keV/nuc. We have previously discussed Voyager 1 data during the solar inactive period 1995 to 1998. New data discussed herein include those from Voyager 1 during 1985–1988, also a period of low solar activity, and from Voyager 2 during 1995 to 1998.

We present annual 0.3-40 MeV nucleon-1 anomalous cosmic-ray (ACR) oxygen and helium energy spectra from the 1991-1999 cosmic-ray recovery phase of solar cycle 22. These observations were made with the Low Energy Charged Particle instruments aboard the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft while at helioradial positions ranging from 34 to 76 AU. The peak intensities of both species increased by 2 orders of magnitude during this period, while the energies of peak O and He intensity decreased from ~9 to 1.3 MeV nucleon-1 and from ~35 to 6 MeV nucleon-1, respectively. Using these observations along with published O measurements from the Solar Anomalous Magnetospheric Particle Explorer at 1 AU, we investigate ACR transport phenomena. We make estimates related to transport parameters such as the relative change in the scattering mean free path over time, the rigidity dependence of the mean free path, and the distance between the Sun and the solar wind termination shock.