Other
Scientific paper
Dec 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agufm.p32a..01c&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2008, abstract #P32A-01
Other
6265 Planetary Rings
Scientific paper
More than 80 stellar occultations by Saturn's rings have been observed by the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) during Cassini's four-year prime mission which ended June 30 2008. These occultations occurred over a wide range of geometries defined by the relative orientations of the line-of-sight to the star, the ring plane, and the ring particle orbit velocity. While each occultation thus provides a unique one- dimensional measurement of ring transparency, the combination of multiple occultations allows the three- dimensional ring structure to be reconstructed. In addition, the signal from weak density waves can be identified by combining multiple occultations. Analysis of weak density waves in the Cassini Division show a lower surface mass density than would be anticipated by extrapolation from waves seen in the A ring. The B ring has fewer strong resonances than the A ring, and few waves have been analyzed there. A number of waves have been observed in the C ring, but the resonant forcing for most of these waves has not been identified. In addition to local mass densities, waves provide information on the vertical extent of the rings. We report on the analysis of the dispersion and damping of waves observed in UVIS data and inferred values of surface mass density and thickness. The combination of multiple occultations provides another technique for measuring ring thickness. The Saturn ring system has several abrupt edges where optically thick rings truncate at gaps over a radial range of <100 m. The high spatial resolution of the UVIS stellar occultations allows us to measure the vertical extent of the ring at the edge. Our results for ring edges and wave damping in the Cassini Division give vertical thicknesses of ~5 m. By combining multiple occultations of the same edge, we measure the radial optical depth profile at the edge, as well as the thickness, for comparison with numerical simulations to better understand ring confinement models.
Colwell Josh
Cooney J.
Esposito Larry
Jerousek R.
Lissauer Jack . J.
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