Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Sep 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006dps....38.4212y&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #38, #42.12; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.561
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
It is universally accepted that Saturn's rings are predominantly composed of water ice, with various contaminants, from their ultraviolet to microwave behavior. Implicitly assumed also is that the water ice exists in its amorphous phase. A mutli-spectral analysis of ground-based near- and mid-infrared imaging and spectral data of Saturn's rings indicates correlations of diurnal variations in the brightness temperature, near-infrared reflectivity and water bands at 1.5-, 1.65- and 3-micron. Integrating these results with numerical and analytical models for ring particles (as functions of shape, size, composition, etc.) suggests diurnal recrystallization of porous amorphous water ice occurs as the ring particles orbit Saturn. Recrystallization of water-ice occurs on Galilean satellites; Kuiper Belt objects and elsewhere in the outer solar system. The important factor is the rate of formation of amorphous water ice at low temperatures typical in the outer solar system, and the glass temperature of water. The structure, viscosity and porosity varies below and above the glass transition temperature for a material. However, the temperature of Saturn's rings is close to the glass transition temperature of water ice. Given the unknown composition of the contaminants in Saturn's rings, the phase of water ice and its thermal properties and structure will be affected. Implications of this hypothesis will be explored regarding the thermal and compositional differences in the main ring system.
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