Modeling Cassini UVIS Interplanetary Hydrogen Lyα Observations from 1999 to 2017

Abstract

The Cassini Orbiter Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) obtained interplanetary hydrogen Lyα observations from 1999 to 2017, with mid-2004 to 2017 observations obtained from Saturn orbit. During its Saturn orbital phase, the spacecraft moved from mostly downwind and sidewind in the heliosphere to upwind. We analyze the full set of observations with our existing hot hydrogen density model with a solar illumination model most recently used to study Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Solar Wind Anisotropy Experiment data and selected Cassini UVIS observations from 2003 to 2004. We find general agreement between data and model, but with evidence for a decline in UVIS Lyα sensitivity, with a significant decline in 2002 June during a starburn event and an overall roughly linear decline in sensitivity. While earlier work by Pryor et al. fit the UVIS Lyα data from 2003 to 2004 with a hydrogen density in the outer heliosphere (but after filtration at outer heliospheric boundaries) of 0.085 cm−3 using the UVIS laboratory sensitivity calibration, including the sensitivity decline found here leads to a revised hydrogen density estimate of n H = 0.14 ± 0.03 cm−3. This density estimate is consistent with a recent neutral hydrogen density estimate near the termination shock of 0.127 ± 0.015 cm−3 based on models of observations of pick-up hydrogen ions from the New Horizons spacecraft.

Seasonal Variation of Saturn's Lyα Brightness

“…In addition to scattered solar flux, a galactic contribution to the background of 40 R has been identified at large heliocentric distances (Gladstone et al 2021;Pryor et al 2022). While there remains uncertainty on the density of the LISM, we compare Cassini/UVIS Lyα observations to the model of Quémerais et al (2013a) and find good agreement between Cassini/UVIS observed and modeled brightnesses, without the proposed recalibration by a factor of 1.7 (Ben-Jaffel et al 2023;Pryor et al 2024). Limb observations and solar occultations, in conjunction with photochemical models, can provide further constraints on the atomic hydrogen columns, Lyα emissions.…”

“…A proposed recalibration of Cassini/UVIS at Lyα by a factor of 1.7 (Ben-Jaffel et al 2023;Pryor et al 2024) would result in much larger observed brightnesses for the IPH (1255 R at q = cos 0.94…”