Steps Towards Understanding the Spokes in Saturn's B Ring

Details Steps Towards Understanding the Spokes in Saturn's B Ring Steps Towards Understanding the Spokes in Saturn's B Ring

Dec 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006agufm.p51f..08h&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2006, abstract #P51F-08

Physics

6213 Dust, 6265 Planetary Rings, 6275 Saturn, 7849 Plasma Interactions With Dust And Aerosols (2461)

Scientific paper

Spokes are intermittently appearing radial markings in Saturn's B ring which are believed to form when micron sized dust particles are levitated above the ring by electrostatic forces. First observed by the Voyagers, and subsequently by the Hubble space telescope, the spokes disappeared between October 1998 and September 2005, when the Cassini spacecraft saw them reappear. These observations show spokes that are much fainter and smaller than those seen by the Voyagers. We will review the original ideas of spoke formation dating back to the Voyager era, and focus on the expected new observations that might be used to constrain and complete our ideas on the triggering mechanisms of spokes, and their evolution. In particular we will point to outstanding issues related to: a) the properties of impact generated plasmas and their possible importance as a source of plasma in the magnetosphere; b) the role of the shadow region; c) the asymmetry between the sunlit side of the rings and the shadowed side underneath; d) the coupling of the rings to the ionosphere that ultimately limits the magnitude of the azimuthal electric field which is thought to be responsible for the apparent radial propagation of the spokes.

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