Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Aug 1986
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1986aj.....92..490g&link_type=abstract
Astronomical Journal (ISSN 0004-6256), vol. 92, Aug. 1986, p. 490-494. CNRS-supported research.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
54
Celestial Mechanics, Natural Satellites, Neptune Atmosphere, Perturbation Theory, Planetary Rings, Arcs, Eccentric Orbits, Energy Dissipation, Mass Distribution, Orbital Elements, Particle Collisions
Scientific paper
It is proposed that the incomplete rings of Neptune consist of a number of short arcs centered on the corotation resonances of a single satellite. The satellite must have a radius of the order of 100 km or more and move on an inclined orbit. Corotation resonances are located at potential maxima. Thus, mechanical energy dissipated by interparticle collisions must be continually replenished to prevent the arcs from spreading. It is shown that each corotation resonance is associated with a nearby Lindblad resonance, which excites the ring particles' orbital eccentricity, thus supplying the energy required to maintain the arc. The ultimate energy reservoir is the satellite's orbital energy. Therefore, interaction with the arcs damps the satellite's orbital inclination. The self-gravity of the arcs limits their contraction and enforces a relation between arc length and mass. The estimated arc masses are so small, of the order of 10 to the 16th g, that the satellite's orbital inclination suffers negligible decay over the age of the solar system. The inferred surface mass densities are comparable to those found in the major rings of Saturn and Uranus.
Borderies Nicole
Goldreich Peter
Tremaine Scott
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