Energetic charged particles tracing techniques and their application in the magnetosphere of Saturn

The MeV proton radiation belts of Saturn are isolated from the middle and outer magnetosphere and the source of these high energy protons should be related to the access of Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) in the system. To validate this hypothesis it is first of all necessary to determine the realistic spectrum of GCRs at Saturn. Previously only theoretical attempts were performed in order to calculate the GCR spectra. In this thesis I provide for the first time the numerical solution for the determination of the GCR access to the upper atmosphere and rings of Saturn. The proposed method is based on the charged particle tracing technique and a code that was developed specifically for this purpose. For the validation of the code, the Cassini MIMI/LEMMS observations during the Rhea and Dione flybys were modeled using the tracer and the obtained results were compared to the observations. It was demonstrated that even a weak perturbation of the magnetic field lines can produce measurable changes in the spatial and energy distribution of fluxes measured by MIMI/LEMMS that can be accurately simulated by particle tracing. These results are important for the correct interpretation of the MIMI/LEMMS data, and offer capabilities for a precise in-flight instruments’ cross-calibration besides the validation of our simulation code. After this validation the particle tracer was applied for simulating the access of the GCRs. The GCRs access to the rings and atmosphere was obtained, the GCRs spectra were reconstructed and were in part also validated using additional Cassini observations. Dependencies of the spectral parameters on the time, incidence direction, etc., were also obtained offering all necessary information for simulating the interaction of GCRs with the Saturnian system during different phases of the Cassini mission. That includes also the Proximal orbits of 2017, during which Cassini will sample for the first time the radiation belts inside the D-ring of the planet, a region which is likely populated only by GCR secondaries.