Formation of moon-induced gaps in dense planetary rings
- We develop an axisymmetric diffusion model to describe radial density profiles in the vicinity of tiny moons embedded in planetary rings. Our diffusion model accounts for the gravitational scattering of the ring particles by an embedded moon and for the viscous diffusion of the ring matter back into the gap. With test particle simulations, we show that the scattering of the ring particles passing the moon is larger for small impact parameters than estimated by Goldreich & Tremaine and Namouni. This is significant for modeling the Keeler gap. We apply our model to the gaps of the moons Pan and Daphnis embedded in the outer A ring of Saturn with the aim to estimate the shear viscosity of the ring in the vicinity of the Encke and Keeler gap. In addition, we analyze whether tiny icy moons whose dimensions lie below Cassini's resolution capabilities would be able to explain the gap structure of the C ring and the Cassini division.
Author details: | Fabio M. GrätzORCiDGND, Martin SeissORCiDGND, Frank SpahnORCiDGND |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aace00 |
ISSN: | 0004-637X |
ISSN: | 1538-4357 |
Title of parent work (English): | The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics |
Subtitle (English): | application to the rings of saturn |
Publisher: | IOP Publ. Ltd. |
Place of publishing: | Bristol |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Date of first publication: | 2018/08/02 |
Publication year: | 2018 |
Release date: | 2021/10/27 |
Tag: | diffusion; planets and satellites: rings; scattering |
Volume: | 862 |
Issue: | 2 |
Number of pages: | 9 |
Funding institution: | Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes; Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und RaumfahrtHelmholtz AssociationGerman Aerospace Centre (DLR) [OH 1401] |
Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Physik und Astronomie |
DDC classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 53 Physik / 530 Physik |
Peer review: | Referiert |