Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T20:12:34.419Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Planetary Rings: Observational Constraints and Collision Dynamics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2017

André Brahic
Affiliation:
Université Paris VII and Observatoire de Paris
Cécile Ferrari
Affiliation:
Université Paris VII and Observatoire de Paris

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Since fifteen years, space and ground-based observations have completely renewed our image of planetary rings. Simultaneously, a wealth of theoretical and numerical models have flourished. Collisions between ring's particles and gravitational perturbations of nearby satellites should explain most of the ring's structures. However, important questions are still unanswered. We do not understand why the rings are so dissimilar. We do not know the ring's origin and their stability over billions of years. Most of the ring's complex structures, the existence of arcs, and color and optical depth variations are not yet explained. Among all the ring mysteries, the uniform precession of narrow ringlets and the azimuthal brightness asymmetries should receive a high priority.

Type
Part II - Planetary Rings
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1992 

References

Borderies, N., Goldreich, P. and Tremaine, S.:1982, “Sharp edges of planetary rings.” Nature 299, 209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borderies, N., Goldreich, P. and Tremaine, S.:1983, “Perturbed particle disks”. Icarus 55, 124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borderies, N., Goldreich, P. and Tremaine, S.:1985, “A granular flow model for dense planetary rings.” Icarus 63, 406.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borderies, N., Goldreich, P. and Tremaine, S.:1985, “The formation of sharp edges in planetary rings by nearby satellites.” Icarus 80, 344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brahic, A.:1975, “A numerical study of a gravitating system of colliding particles: Applications to the dynamics of Saturn's rings and to the formation of the solar system.” Icarus 25, 452.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brahic, A.:1977, “Systems of Colliding Bodies in a Gravitational Field: I - Numerical Simulation of the Standard Model.” Astron. Astrophys. 54, 895.Google Scholar
Brahic, A. and Hubbard, W. B.: 1989, “The baffling ring arcs of Neptune.” Sky and Telescope 77, 606. Brahic, A. and Hénon, M.:1977, “Systems of colliding bodies in a gravitational field: II - Effect of transversal viscosity.” Astron. Astrophys. 59, 1.Google Scholar
Brahic, A. and Sicardy, B.:1981, “Apparent thickness of Saturn's rings.” Nature 289, 447.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Camichel, H.:1958, “Mesures photométriques de Saturne et de son anneau.” Ann. d'Astrophys. 21, 231.Google Scholar
Colombo, G., Goldreich, P. and Harris, ,:1976, “A. Spiral structure as an explanation for the asymmetric brightness of Saturn's A ring.” Nature 264, 344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cuzzi, J.N. and Scargle, J.D.:1985, “Wavy edges suggest moonlet in Encke's gap.” Astrophys. J. 292, 276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cuzzi, J.N. and Burns, ,:1988, “Charged particle depletion surrounding Saturn's F ring: Evidence for a moonlet belt?” Icarus 74, 284.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliot, J.L., French, R.G., Frogel, J.A., Elias, J.H., Mink, D.J. and Liller, W.:1981, “Orbits of nine Uranian rings.” Astron. J. 86, 444.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliot, J.L. and Nicholson, P.D.:1984, “The Rings of Uranus” in Planetary Rings , Greenberg, R. and Brahic, A., eds., Univ. of Arizona Press, Tucson, 25.Google Scholar
Ferrari, C.:1992, Thèse de l'Université Paris XI.Google Scholar
French, R.G., Elliot, J.L. and Levine, S.E.:1986, “Structure of the Uranian rings. II. Ring orbits and widths.” Icarus 67, 134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldreich, P. and Porco, C.C.:1987, “Shepherding of the Uranian rings. II Dynamics.” Astron. J. 93, 730.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldreich, P. and Tremaine, S.:1979, “The excitation of density waves at the Lindblad and corotation resonances by an external potential”. Astrophys. J. 233, 857.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldreich, P. and Tremaine, S.:1980, “Disk-satellite interactions”. Astrophys. J. 241, 425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldreich, P. and Tremaine, S.:1981, “The origin of the eccentricities of the rings of Uranus.” Astrophys. J. 243, 1062.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldreich, P. and Tremaine, S.:1982, “The Dynamics of Planetary Rings.” Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 20, 249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hénon, M.:1981, “A simple model of Saturn's rings.” Nature 293, 33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hénon, M.:1984, “A simple model of Saturn's rings - revisited.” in Planetary Rings , Brahic, A. ed., C.N.E.S., Cepadues, Toulouse, 363.Google Scholar
Lane, A.L., Hord, C.W., West, R.A., Esposito, L.W., Simmons, K.E., Nelson, R.M., Wallis, B.D., Buratti, B.J., Horn, L.J., Graps, A.L. and Pryor, W.R.:1986, “Photometry from Voyager 2: Initial results from the Uranian atmosphere, satellites and rings.” Science 233, 65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lynden-Bell, D. and Pringle, J.E.:1974, “The evolution of viscous discs and the origin of the nebular variables.” Monthly Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 168, 603.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marouf, E.A., Tyler, G.L., Zebner, H.A., Simpson, R.A. and Eshleman, V.R.: 1983, “Particle size distribution in Saturn's rings from Voyager 1 radio occultations.” Icarus 54, 189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marouf, E.A., Tyler, G.L. and Rosen, P.A.:1986, “Profiling Saturn's rings by radio occultation.” Icarus 68, 120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, C.D. and Thompson, R.P.:1990, “Orbits of shepherd satellites deduced from the structure of the rings of Uranus.” Nature 348, 499.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nicholson, P.D., Persson, S.E., Matthews, K., Goldreich, P., Neugebauer, G.:1978, “The Rings of Uranus: Result of the 20 April 1978 Occultation.” Astron. J. 83, 1240.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Owen, T., Danielson, G.E., Cook, A.F., Hansen, C., Hall, V.L. and Duxbury, T.C.: 1979, “Jupiter's rings.” Nature 281, 442.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Porco, C.C., Nicholson, P.D., Borderies, N., Danielson, G.E., Goldreich, P., Holberg, J.B. and Lane, A.L.,:1984, “The eccentric Saturnian ringlets at 1.29 RS and 1.45 RS.” Icarus 60, 1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Porco, C.C.:1991, “An Explanation for Neptune's Ring Arcs.” Science 253, 995.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prendergast, K.H. and Burbidge, G.R.:1968, “On the nature of some galactic X-ray sources.” Astrophys. J. 151, L 83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosen, P.A. and Lissauer, J.J.:1988, “The Tiotan 1:0 nodal bending wave in Saturn's ring C” Science 241, 690.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Showalter, M.R., Burns, J.A., Cuzzi, J.N. and Pollack, J.B.:1985, “Diascovery of Jupiter's ‘gossamer’ ring” Nature 316, 526.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Showalter, M.R., Cuzzi, J.N., Marouf, P.A. and Esposito, L.:1986, “Satellite, wakes and the orbit of the Encke gap moonlet.” Icarus 66, 297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Showalter, M.R., Burns, J.A., Cuzzi, J.N. and Pollack, J.B.:1987, “Jupiter's ring system: New results on structure and particle properties.” Icarus 69, 458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sicardy, B., Roques, F. and Brahic, A.:1991, “Neptune's rings, 1983-1989: Ground-based stellar occultation observations.” Icarus 89, 220.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, B.A., Soderblom, L. A., et al.: 1986, “Voyager 2 in the Uranian system:imaging science results.” Science 233, 43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, B. A., Soderblom, L. A., et al.: 1989, “Voyager 2 at Neptune: Imaging Science results.” Science 246, 1422.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Svitek, T. and Danielson, G.E.:1987, “Azimuthal brightness variation and albedo measurements of the Uranian rings.” J. Geophys. Res. 92, 14979.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weidenschilling, S.J., Chapman, C.R., Davis, D. and Greenberg, R.:1985, “Ring particles: collisionnal interactions and physical nature.” in Planetary Rings , Greenberg, R. and Brahic, A., eds. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.Google Scholar
Zebner, H.A., Marouf, E.A. and Tyler, G.L.:1985, “Saturn's rings: Particle size distributions for thin layer models.” Icarus 64, 531.Google Scholar