Statistics – Computation
Scientific paper
Jan 1991
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1991apj...367..350s&link_type=abstract
Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 367, Jan. 20, 1991, p. 350-360.
Statistics
Computation
16
Magnetohydrodynamic Flow, Optical Thickness, Planetary Gravitation, Saturn Rings, Angular Momentum, Computational Astrophysics, Particle Size Distribution
Scientific paper
Voyager observations have revealed that the Saturnian B ring is much more structured than previously anticipated. Some of these structures occur on radial scale lengths of less than 15 km. In the visible the ring an optical depth minimum at a small distance outside of synchronous orbit. It is suggested in this paper that the electromagnetically induced radial transport of angular momentum associated with radial transport of charged submicron-size dust particles may explain these features. This mechanism induces an instability which produces, over geological times, significant radial structuring of the ring. Mass contained in particles less than about 1 cm in size is transported away from the synchronous orbit. This produces the optical depth minimum there. A simulation, starting with a radially uniform mass and number density, yields a radial optical depth profile which is similar to what is observed. It is found that it takes about 400-800 million yr to produce the observed structure. This estimate for the age of B ring agrees with some other independent estimates.
Goertz Christoph K.
Shan Lin-Hua
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