Origins of saturn's auroral emissions and their relationship to large-scale magnetosphere dynamics

In this review article, we discuss recent observations of Saturn's dynamic aurora and how these relate to large-scale current systems within the magnetosphere. We first discuss the driving mechanism of the main auroral oval in terms of a theoretical framework that takes into account both plasma subcorotation associated with mass loading in the magnetosphere and the solar wind interaction. We compare the expected field-aligned current systems from that model with images of the aurora and from in situ measurements of the high-latitude current systems measured by Cassini. We identify open questions relating to the origin and modulation of the auroral current system. © 2012. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.