A numerical simulation of planetary rings. III - Mass segregation, ring confinement, and gap formation

Details A numerical simulation of planetary rings. III - Mass segregation, ring confinement, and gap formation A numerical simulation of planetary rings. III - Mass segregation, ring confinement, and gap formation

Jun 1988

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1988a%26a...199..343p&link_type=abstract

Astronomy and Astrophysics (ISSN 0004-6361), vol. 199, no. 1-2, June 1988, p. 343-356.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

21

Digital Simulation, Mass Distribution, Monte Carlo Method, Particle Interactions, Planetary Rings, Planetology, Fokker-Planck Equation, Radial Distribution

Scientific paper

A numerical model of planetary rings in which particles interact through mutual attraction and inelastic collisions is considered. Arbitrary mass distributions are allowed, and various situations are simulated. The evolution of an isolated ring made of particles with different masses. The ring expands as a whole. Particles with a given mass acquire a well-defined relative density profile. Heavier particles concentrate near the center of the ring, and lighter particles are pushed toward the edges. The confinement of a ring by shepherding satellites. Again a definite profile is obtained, and mass segregation is observed. The formation of a gap by a large particle ('moonlet') imbedded into a uniform population of light particles. A residual ringlet around the moonlet is observed. When the mass of the moonlet is varied, gaps of arbitrary width or depth can be formed; this suggests that the fine structure of the rings might be produced by embedded large particles. Theoretical approximations are derived in a number of limiting cases and are shown to be in good agreement with numerical results.

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