Analyzing Dust Distribution in Saturn Environment using Power Spectra from Cassini RPWS

This study investigates the distribution of dust in Saturn’s rings, analyzing dust impact signals detected by the Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) instrument aboard the Cassini spacecraft. Over its 13-year mission, the electric field antennas of RPWS registered sharp spiky signals caused by hypervelocity dust impacts. Data from multiple ring crossings were analyzed using the power spectral method. The vertical profiles and spectral amplitudes were determined in radial distances of 2.45 to 4.5 Rs from the center of Saturn. The results show the spatial distribution of dust density profiles, spectral amplitudes, and power density variations with radial distance. The power density exhibited strong variability for a constant relative dust-to-spacecraft velocity, indicating environmental differences at fixed radial distances. The profiles derived from the spectral analysis of electric field measurements closely align with those obtained through a search algorithm that uses recorded waveforms. The study indicates that the profiles can be modeled by a Gaussian distribution, with half-width thicknesses ranging from 450 km in the dense, narrow G ring to 3000-4000 km in the wide E ring. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the Saturn dust environment and demonstrate an alternative approach for analyzing hypervelocity dust impacts in planetary environments.