Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jul 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007dda....38.1208l&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DDA meeting #38, #12.08
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Showalter and Lissauer (2006) announced the discovery of two faint, outer rings of Uranus, which are believed to be composed of micron-sized dust particles. Currently the rings are edge-on as seen from Earth, a geometry that highlights faint rings and especially their vertical structure. We have undertaken a survey of the dynamics of the system including the host of non-gravitational forces - radiation pressure, electromagnetic forces, and various drag forces - that affect dust grains. Acting in combination, these forces can give particles eccentricities of up to e > 0.15 for particles within the inner dusty ring, and even larger, up to e > 0.5, in the outer ring. The radial range from pericenter to apocenter for such particles could help explain the observed widths of the dusty rings. Additionally, several Lorentz resonances are located within the rings and can trap particles and influence orbital evolution. Inclinations from trapped particles can reach a few degrees, giving vertical displacement to the rings of anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand kilometers. The upper end of this range corresponds to a few pixels on HST instruments and therefore might be observable. Finally, we notice an interesting locking of the pericenter and longitude of the ascending node to ? degrees imposed by radiation pressure and the unique tilted geometry at Uranus.
Hamilton Douglas P.
Lockwood Alexandra
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