Sep 1999
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999dda....31.0903d&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DDA meeting #31, #09.03
Other
1
Scientific paper
Pandora (1980 S26), the outer ``shepherding'' satellite of Saturn's F Ring, excites a number of density waves in Saturn's main rings. The back-reaction from the torques excited in wave regions is predicted to cause rapid outward evolution of Pandora's orbit. Pandora shares this timescale problem with Prometheus and other ring moons (P. Goldreich and S. Tremaine, Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 20, 249 [1982]; J. Lissauer et al., Icarus 58, 159 [1984]). Pandora, however, is unique in that it occupies an orbit that is close to a strong 3:2 resonance with Mimas (e.g., S. P. Synnott et al., Science 212, 191 [1982]; K. Aksnes in Anneaux des Planetes, IAU Colloquium 75, Ed. A. Brahic, p. 479 [1984]; N. Borderies et al. in Planetary Rings, Eds. R. Greenberg and A. Brahic, p. 713 [1984]). If Pandora were in resonance with Mimas, it could transfer angular momentum to Mimas, which Mimas could, in turn, pass on to Tethys by virtue of the 4:2 resonance between Mimas and Tethys. Since Tethys' mass is >3000 times that of Pandora, the whole system could be held in place. Unfortunately, Pandora does not occupy the 3:2 resonance, at least at the present time. We will describe the results of orbital integrations of test particles in the Pandora region using the RMVS3 integrator (H. Levison and M. Duncan, Icarus 108, 18 [1994]). Perturbations from Saturn's J_2 and J_4 and Prometheus, Mimas, Tethys, and Titan are included. We will discuss our simulations of the libration in Pandora's orbit due to Mimas recently discovered by C. McGhee et al. (Icarus, in preparation [1999]) and by R. French et al. (this meeting). The ultimate goal of this research will be to understand the long-term resonant dynamics. We thank Phil Nicholson and Bob Jacobson for their helpful input to this study.
Dones Luke
French Richard G.
Lissauer Jack . J.
Showalter Robert M.
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