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Science 10 March 2006:
Vol. 311. no. 5766, pp. 1416 - 1418
DOI: 10.1126/science.1121375
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Reports

Cassini Dust Measurements at Enceladus and Implications for the Origin of the E Ring

Frank Spahn,1 Jürgen Schmidt,1* Nicole Albers,1 Marcel Hörning,1 Martin Makuch,1 Martin Seiß,1 Sascha Kempf,2 Ralf Srama,2 Valeri Dikarev,2,3 Stefan Helfert,2 Georg Moragas-Klostermeyer,2 Alexander V. Krivov,3 Miodrag Sremcevic,5 Anthony J. Tuzzolino,6 Thanasis Economou,6 Eberhard Grün2,4

During Cassini's close flyby of Enceladus on 14 July 2005, the High Rate Detector of the Cosmic Dust Analyzer registered micron-sized dust particles enveloping this satellite. The dust impact rate peaked about 1 minute before the closest approach of the spacecraft to the moon. This asymmetric signature is consistent with a locally enhanced dust production in the south polar region of Enceladus. Other Cassini experiments revealed evidence for geophysical activities near Enceladus' south pole: a high surface temperature and a release of water gas. Production or release of dust particles related to these processes may provide the dominant source of Saturn's E ring.

1 Institut für Physik, Universität Potsdam, Am Neuen Palais 10, Haus 19, D-14469 Potsdam, Germany.
2 Max Planck Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
3 Astrophysikalisches Institut, Friedrich Schiller Universität, 07745 Jena, Germany.
4 Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
5 Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA.
6 Laboratory for Astrophysics and Space Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.

* Corresponding author: jschmidt{at}agnld.uni-potsdam.de

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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S. W. Kieffer, X. Lu, C. M. Bethke, J. R. Spencer, S. Marshak, and A. Navrotsky (2006)
Science 314, 1764-1766
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J. S. Kargel (2006)
Science 311, 1389-1391
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Does Enceladus govern magnetospheric dynamics at Saturn?.
M. G. Kivelson (2006)
Science 311, 1391-1392
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Cassini observes the active south pole of Enceladus..
C. C. Porco, P. Helfenstein, P. C. Thomas, A. P. Ingersoll, J. Wisdom, R. West, G. Neukum, T. Denk, R. Wagner, T. Roatsch, et al. (2006)
Science 311, 1393-1401
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Cassini encounters Enceladus: background and the discovery of a south polar hot spot..
J. R. Spencer, J. C. Pearl, M. Segura, F. M. Flasar, A. Mamoutkine, P. Romani, B. J. Buratti, A. R. Hendrix, L. J. Spilker, and R. M. C. Lopes (2006)
Science 311, 1401-1405
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Enceladus' varying imprint on the magnetosphere of Saturn..
G. H. Jones, E. Roussos, N. Krupp, C. Paranicas, J. Woch, A. Lagg, D. G. Mitchell, S. M. Krimigis, and M. K. Dougherty (2006)
Science 311, 1412-1415
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Cassini ion and neutral mass spectrometer: Enceladus plume composition and structure..
J. H. Waite Jr., M. R. Combi, W.-H. Ip, T. E. Cravens, R. L. McNutt Jr., W. Kasprzak, R. Yelle, J. Luhmann, H. Niemann, D. Gell, et al. (2006)
Science 311, 1419-1422
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