Computer Science
Scientific paper
Oct 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011epsc.conf.1134s&link_type=abstract
EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2011, held 2-7 October 2011 in Nantes, France. http://meetings.copernicus.org/epsc-dps2011, p.1134
Computer Science
Scientific paper
The viscous overstability of dense planetary rings offers a plausible mechanism for the generation of observed 150 m radial density variations in the B and the inner A ring of Saturn (Colwell et al. 2007, Thomson et al. 2007). Viscous overstability, in the form of spontaneous growth of axisymmetric oscillations, arises naturally in N-body simulations, in the limit of high impact frequency and moderately weak selfgravity (Salo et al. 2001, Schmidt et al. 2001; see also Schmidt et al. 2009). For example, a selfgravitating system of identical particles with internal density half of solid ice, and following the Bridges et al. (1984) elasticity formula, becomes overstable for optical depths > 1, forming oscillations in about 100 meter scale. Like self-gravity wakes, with their typical 20 trailing pitch angle, overstable oscillations lead to a longitude-dependent brightness of the rings. Due to their axisymmetric nature, the expected longitude of minimum brightness is shifted to ring ansae. However, according to simulations, the axisymmetric oscillations may coexist with the inclined selfgravity wake structures, which can lead to complicated photometric behavior, depending on properties of the simulated system. The overstable systems may also exhibit amplitude modulations (in km-scales), arising from the mutual beating patterns of the basics overstable oscillations. New results of photometric modeling of viscously overstable dynamical simulations systems are reported, related to the above mentioned topics. The Monte Carlo method of Salo and Karjalainen (2003) is used, previously applied to modeling of photometric signatures of selfgravity wakes (Salo et al. 2004, French et al. 2007), scattering properties of propeller stuctures (Sremcevic et al., 2007), and to the intepretation of elevation-angle dependent opposition effect seen in HST data (Salo and French 2010). For example, the possible observable signatures of amplitude modulations are explored.
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