TY  - JOUR
A1  - Albers, Nicole
A1  - Spahn, Frank
T1  - The influence of particle adhesion on the stability of agglomerates in Saturn's rings
N2  - In planetary rings, binary collisions and mutual gravity are the predominant particle interactions. Based on a viscoelastic contact model we implement the concept of static adhesion. We discuss the collision dynamics and obtain a threshold velocity for restitution or agglomeration to occur. The latter takes place within a range of a few cm s(-1) for icy grains at low temperatures. The stability of such two-body agglomerates bound by adhesion and gravity in a tidal environment is discussed and applied to the saturnian system. A maximal agglomerate size for a given orbit location is obtained. In this way we are able to resolve the borderline of the zone where agglomerates can exist as a function of the agglomerate size and thus gain an alternative to the classical Roche limit. An increasing ring grain size with distance to Saturn as observed by the VIMS-experiment on board the Cassini spacecraft can be found by our estimates and implications for the saturnian system will be addressed.
Y1  - 2006
UR  - https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/12265
UR  - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00191035
SN  - 0019-1035
ER  -