In this work, we model the radial density profile of the outer A ring of Saturn observed with Cassini cameras (Tiscareno & Harris 2018): An axisymmetric diffusion model has been developed, accounting for the outward viscous flow of the ring material, and the counteracting inward drift caused by resonances of the planet's large outer moons. It has been generally accepted that the 7:6 resonance of Janus alone confines the outer A ring which, however, was disproved by Tajeddine et al. (2017). We show that the step-like density profile of the outer A ring is predominantly defined by the discrete first-order resonances of Janus, the 5:3 second-order resonance of Mimas, and the overlapping resonances of Prometheus and Pandora.
Here we demonstrate how Saturn could create its rings by itself, with the additional action of its axisymmetric magnetic field once appeared. A new mechanism for the origin of Saturn's rings is proposed for the first time. It includes the appearance of an additional third force - the force of diamagnetic expulsion of a diamagnetic ice particle after the emergence of the magnetic field of Saturn and the mechanism of magnetic anisotropic accretion. This force is acting together with force of gravity and centrifugal one on the particles within protoplanetary cloud. After appearance of the force o…
The co-orbital satellites of Saturn, Janus and Epimetheus, swap radial positions every 4.0 years. Since \textit{Cassini} has been in orbit about Saturn, this has occurred on 21 January in 2006, 2010, and 2014. We describe the effects of this radial migration in the Lindblad resonance locations of Janus within the rings. When the swap occurs such that Janus moves towards Saturn and Epimetheus away, nonlinear interference between now-relocated density waves launches a solitary wave that travels through the rings with a velocity approximately twice that of the local spiral density wave group velo…
The magnetization relationships for magnetically uniform spherical particles of the Saturn rings are derived. The problem of a solitary magnetized sphere and spherical particle among identical particles scattered in a disk-like structure is solved. The differential equations of motion of particles in the gravitational and magnetic field are derived. Special cases of these equations are solved exactly, and their solutions suggest that the superposition of the gravitational attraction and repulsion by a magnetic field of the iced particles which possess diamagnetism can account for the stability…
It is demonstrated how Saturn rings may be originated due to interaction of iced particles (with II kind superconductivity) moving by chaotic orbits within protoplanetary cloud with magnetic field of Saturn after it appearance. Eventually all orbits of particles coming to the magnetic equator plane of Saturn where they locked within three-dimensional magnetic well due to minimum of the particles magnetic energy at the magnetic equator and quantum trapping by Abrikosov vortices. It also explains peculiarities of the rings pattern and many of observed phenomena
Density waves in Saturn's rings are usually tightly wrapped spiral patterns generated by resonances with either Saturn's moons or structures inside the planet. However, between the Barnard and Bessel Gaps in the Cassini Division (i.e. between 120,240 and 120,300 km from Saturn's spin axis), there are density variations that appear to form an axisymmetric density wave consisting of concentric zones of varying densities that propagate radially through the rings. Axisymmetric waves cannot be generated directly by a satellite resonance, but instead appear to be excited by interference between a ne…
Saturn's Evolutionary History and Seismology: Survival of Deep Stably Stratified Regions in Evolutionary Models of Saturn Consistent with Ring Seismology
Princeton University（普林斯顿大学）；Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Toronto（多伦多大学加拿大理论天体物理研究所）；University of Massachusetts Amherst（马萨诸塞大学阿默斯特分校）；University of California Los Angeles（加州大学洛杉矶分校）
The diamagnetism of ice particles of the rings can explain their separation and the sharp edges of the rings. The existing gravitational theories of the origin of rings can't explain these observed facts. Taking into account the magnetic field of Saturn, all the particles of the rings acquire stability in the horizontal and vertical directions. The force of diamagnetic expulsion of inhomogeneous magnetic field inside the rings structure forms sharp edges and separates the particles.
A modified "Type I migration" model for propeller moons in Saturn's rings
我们提出了一种机制，用于观察嵌入土星环中的“螺旋桨”卫星的非开普勒运动（Tiscareno et al. 2010，ApJL）。我们的机制，其中表面密度的径向变化-外部，不受嵌入的月球-由于“I型”角动量交换导致月球的平衡半长轴（Crida et al. 2010，AJ），提供了一个很好的拟合观测。未来的观察应该区分我们的模型和最近提出的其他模型。
We have analyzed the highest-quality images to be obtained by Cassini of Saturn's main rings after the Saturn Orbit Insertion (SOI) and before the Ring Grazing Orbits (RGO) and Grand Finale (GF). These images are comparable to those of SOI in fidelity, though not in nominal resolution, due to their high signal-to-noise. We have systematically searched for radial structure in these images by reducing them to a single dimension (distance from Saturn's center) and using the continuous wavelet transform technique. We discuss the resonant theory of spiral waves and discuss the proper method for der…
The Cassini spacecraft's last orbits directly sampled Saturn's thermosphere and revealed a much more chemically complex environment than previously believed. Observations from the Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) aboard Cassini provided compositional measurements of this region and found an influx of material raining into Saturn's upper atmosphere from the rings. We present here an in-depth analysis of the CH$_4$, H$_2$O, and NH$_3$ signal from INMS and provide further evidence of external material entering Saturn's atmosphere from the rings. We use a new mass spectral deconvolution al…
D 68是一个狭窄的小环，距离土星自转轴只有67，627公里（1.12行星半径）。卡西尼号太空船获得的小环图像显示，这个小环具有持续的纵向亮度变化和相当大的离心率（ae=25+/-1 km）。通过比较不同时间的观测结果，我们确认了亮度的变化大约以当地的轨道速率（1751.6度/天）围绕行星旋转，小环的近心进动为38.243+/-0.008度/天，这与土星高阶引力谐波导致的该位置的拱点进动速率一致。令人惊讶的是，我们还发现小环的半长轴似乎在2005年至2013年间以2.4+/-0.4公里/年的速度随着时间的推移而减少。仔细观察这些测量结果，以及考虑早期旅行者号对这个小环的观测，表明D 68的平均半径来回移动，可能有大约15个地球年或大约半个土星年的周期。这些观测结果可能会对小环的局部动力学环境和行星的引力场产生重要的约束。
The disruption of an icy moon in a collision with an interloping comet a few hundred million years ago is a simple way to create Saturn's rings. A ring parent moon with a mass comparable to Mimas could be trapped in mean motion resonance with Enceladus and Dione in an orbit near the current outer edge of the rings just beyond the Roche zone. I present collisional N-body simulations of cometary impacts that lead to the partial disruption of a differentiated moon with a rocky core and icy mantle. The core can survive largely intact while the debris from the mantle settles into a ring of predomin…
Aims. To investigate the mid-infrared (MIR) characteristics of Saturn's rings. Methods. We collected and analyzed MIR high spatial resolution images of Saturn's rings obtained in January 2008 and April 2005 with COMICS mounted on Subaru Telescope, and investigated the spatial variation in the surface brightness of the rings in multiple bands in the MIR. We also composed the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the C, B, and A rings and the Cassini Division, and estimated the temperatures of the rings from the SEDs assuming the optical depths. Results. We find that the C ring and the Cassini…
Accretion of Saturn's mid-sized moons during the viscous spreading of young massive rings: solving the paradox of silicate-poor rings versus silicate-rich moons
Spacecraft and ground-based observations show that the main rings of Saturn lack particles larger than 10 m. Tidal or collisional destruction of satellites/comets have been proposed as the origin of the main rings; however, Saturn's tide alone cannot grind km-sized fragments into submeter-sized particles because of the high mechanical strength of water ice and rock. The question arises as to why such large particles are not left in the current ring. It is known that thermal stress induced by diurnal and seasonal temperature variations can cause weathering and fragmentation of boulders and cont…
Saturn's E ring consists of micron-sized particles launched from Enceladus by that moon's geological activity. A variety of small-scale structures in the E-ring's brightness have been attributed to tendrils of material recently launched from Enceladus. However, one of these features occurs at a location where Enceladus' gravitational perturbations should concentrate background E-ring particles into structures known as satellite wakes. While satellite wakes have been observed previously in ring material drifting past other moons, these E-ring structures would be the first examples of wakes invo…
We present observations at optical wavelengths with the Cassini Spacecraft's Imaging Science System of the Phoebe ring, a vast debris disk around Saturn that seems to be collisionally generated by its irregular satellites. The analysis reveals a radial profile from 80-260 Saturn radii ($R_S$) that changes behavior interior to $\approx 110 R_S$, which we attribute to either the moon Iapetus sweeping up small particles, or to orbital instabilities that cause the ring to flare up vertically. Our study yields an integrated I/F at 0.635 $μ$m along Saturn's shadow in the Phoebe ring's midplane from …
Incomplete cooling down of Saturn's A ring at solar equinox: Implication for seasonal thermal inertia and internal structure of ring particles
在2009年8月的太阳分点，卡西尼号上的复合红外光谱仪（CIRS）显示了有史以来观测到的最低土星环温度。详细的辐射转移模型表明，只要只考虑土星的通量，土星A环观测到的春分温度就比模型预测的要高得多。这表明A环在春分点没有完全冷却下来。我们开发了一个简单的季节性环温度模型，并首先假设环颗粒的内部密度和热惯性是均匀的深度。颗粒大小估计为1-2 μ m。A环中部的季节热惯量为30-50 JmPDMATHABMM K $^{-1}$ s $^{-1/2}$，而A环内外区的季节热惯量为10 JmPDMATHABMM K $^{-1}$ s $^{-1/2}$或与昼夜热惯量一样低。一个附加的内部结构模型，其中一个粒子有一个高密度的核心周围的蓬松的风化层地幔，表明核心半径相对于粒子半径约为0.9的中间A环和更小的内部和外部区域的A环。这意味着环粒子内部密度的径向变化存在于整个A环。一些机制可能是将致密颗粒限制在中间A环中以防止粘性扩散。或者，（中间的）A环可能是最近（$<$ 10 $^{8}$ yr）由于一颗冰冷的卫星的破坏而形成的，因此致密的颗粒还没有扩散到A环上，颗粒的风化层地幔还没有变厚。我们的模型结果还表明，核心的成分主要是水冰，而不是岩石。
Constraints on the initial mass, age and lifetime of Saturn's rings from viscous evolutions that include pollution and transport due to micrometeoroid bombardment
As it has already done for Earth, the sun, and the stars, seismology has the potential to radically change the way the interiors of giant planets are studied. In a sequence of events foreseen by only a few, observations of Saturn's rings by the Cassini spacecraft have rapidly broken ground on giant planet seismology. Gravity directly couples the planet's normal mode oscillations to the orbits of ring particles, generating spiral waves whose frequencies encode Saturn's internal structure and rotation. These modes have revealed a stably stratified region near Saturn's center, and provided a new …
The excitation of density and bending waves in Saturn's C ring by planetary oscillation modes presents a unique opportunity to learn about gas giant interiors and rotation. However, theoretical complications related to Saturn's rapid and differential rotation pose a barrier to the full utilization of ring wave detections. We calculate oscillation modes using a complete, non-perturbative treatment of differential rotation modelled after Saturn's zonal winds in self-consistently computed, polytropic equilibria. We find that previous, approximate treatments of the effects of differential rotation…
The innovative Saturn Ring Skimmer mission concept enables a wide range of investigations that address fundamental questions about Saturn and its rings, as well as giant planets and astrophysical disk systems in general. This mission would provide new insights into the dynamical processes that operate in astrophysical disk systems by observing individual particles in Saturn's rings for the first time. The Ring Skimmer would also constrain the origin, history, and fate of Saturn's rings by determining their compositional evolution and material transport rates. In addition, the Ring Skimmer woul…
Saturn's rings act as a system of innumerable test particles that are remarkably sensitive to periodic disturbances in the planet's gravitational field. We identify 15 additional density and bending waves in Saturn's C ring driven by the planet's internal normal mode oscillations. Taking advantage of a highly accurate absolute radius scale for the rings, we are able to detect weak, high-wavenumber (up to m=14) waves with km-scale radial wavelengths. From a systematic scan of the entire C ring, we report the discovery and identification of 11 new Outer Lindblad Resonances (OLRs), two counterpar…
During the Grand Finale stage of the Cassini mission, organic-rich ring material was discovered to be flowing into Saturn's equatorial upper atmosphere at a surprisingly large rate. Through a series of photochemical models, we have examined the consequences of this ring material on the chemistry of Saturn's neutral and ionized atmosphere. We find that if a substantial fraction of this material enters the atmosphere as vapor or becomes vaporized as the solid ring particles ablate upon atmospheric entry, then the ring-derived vapor would strongly affect the composition of Saturn's ionosphere and…
Saturn's mid-sized moons (satellites) have a puzzling orbital configuration with trapping in mean-motion resonances with every other pairs (Mimas-Tethys 4:2 and Enceladus-Dione 2:1). To reproduce their current orbital configuration on the basis of Crida & Charnoz's model of satellite formation from a hypothetical ancient massive rings, adjacent pairs must pass 1st-order mean-motion resonances without being trapped. The trapping could be avoided by fast orbital migration and/or excitation of the satellite's eccentricity caused by gravitational interactions between the satellites and the rings (…
We study the B ring's complex optical depth structure. The source of this structure may be the complex dynamics of the Keplerian shear and the self-gravity of the ring particles. The outcome of these dynamic effects depends sensitively on the collisional and physical properties of the particles. Two mechanisms can emerge that dominate the macroscopic physical structure of the ring: self-gravity wakes and viscous overstability. Here we study the interplay between these two mechanisms by using our recently developed particle collision method that allows us to better model the inter-particle cont…
The observed disparity between the radial dependence of the ion and electron densities measured by the Cassini plasma and radio science instruments are used to show that the region between the outer edge of Saturn's main rings and its tenuous G-ring is permeated with small charged grains (nanograins). These grains emanate from the edge of the A-ring and from the tenuous F-ring and G-ring. This is a region of Saturn's magnetosphere that is relatively unexplored, but will be a focus of Cassini's F-ring orbits prior to the end of mission in September 2017. Confirmation of the grain densities pred…
We analyze the CORALIE/HARPS sample of exoplanets (Mayor et al. 2011) found by the Doppler radial velocity method for signs of the predicted "desert" at 10-$100 M_\odot$ caused by runaway gas accretion at semimajor axes of $< 3\,$AU. We find that these data are not consistent with this prediction. This result is similar to the finding by the MOA gravitational microlensing survey that found no desert in the exoplanet distribution for exoplanets in slightly longer period orbits and somewhat lower host masses (Suzuki et al. 2018). Together, these results imply that the runaway accretion scenario …
Ring arcs are the result of particles in corotation resonances with nearby satellites. Arcs are present in Saturn and Neptune systems, in Saturn they are also associated with small satellites immersed on them. The satellite Aegaeon is immersed in the G~ring arc, and the satellites Anthe and Methone are embedded in arcs named after them. Since most of the population of the arcs is formed by $μ$m-sized particles the dissipative effects, such as the plasma drag and the solar radiation force, decrease the lifetime of the arcs. We analysed the effects of the immersed satellites on these arcs by com…
We investigate the influence of collective self-gravity forces on the nonlinear, large-scale evolution of the viscous overstability in Saturn's rings. We numerically solve the axisymmetric hydrodynamic equations in the isothermal and non-isothermal approximation, including radial self-gravity and employing transport coefficients derived by Salo et al. We assume optical depths of 1.5-2 to model Saturn's dense rings. Furthermore, local N-body simulations, incorporating vertical and radial collective self-gravity are performed. Vertical self-gravity is mimicked through an increased frequency of v…
