Physics – Space Physics
Scientific paper
Oct 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010dps....42.5002h&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #42, #50.02; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 42, p.1007
Physics
Space Physics
Scientific paper
The size distribution of Saturn's ring particles can be generally described by a power-law size distribution from about 1 cm up to a few meters. The existence of larger particles, often called moonlets, in the rings is proven by the effects they have on the surrounding ring material. If the moonlet is not large enough to clear a gap, it will induce a propeller shaped structure, which were first discovered in the observation by the Cassini spacecraft. We have made dynamical and photometric simulations to get contraints on the properties of the propeller features seen in the outer A ring. We also consider the assumption, that some loose material is released from the particles in fast collisions induced by the moonlet. This debris is the reason for the enhanced optical thickness in the propeller features. We show that the debris model is able to explain the phase angle dependent appearance of the observed propellers on both the lit and the unlit side of the rings.
This work is supported by the Academy of Finland/Graduate School for Astronomy and Space Physics
Albers Nicole
Halme Veli-Pekka
Miodrag Sremčević
Salo Heikki
Schmidt Jonas
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