Evidence that a novel type of satellite wake might exist in Saturn’s E ring. (arXiv:2105.05294v2 [astro-ph.EP] UPDATED)
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Hedman_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">M.M. Hedman</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Young_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">M. Young</a>
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 involving
particles following horseshoe orbits near Enceladus’ orbit. The predicted
intensity of these wake signatures are particularly sensitive to the fraction
E-ring particles’ on orbits with low eccentricities and semi-major axes just
outside of Enceladus’ orbit, and so detailed analyses of these and other
small-scale E-ring features should place strong constraints on the orbital
properties and evolution of E-ring particles.
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 involving
particles following horseshoe orbits near Enceladus’ orbit. The predicted
intensity of these wake signatures are particularly sensitive to the fraction
E-ring particles’ on orbits with low eccentricities and semi-major axes just
outside of Enceladus’ orbit, and so detailed analyses of these and other
small-scale E-ring features should place strong constraints on the orbital
properties and evolution of E-ring particles.
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