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Structure, stability and evolution of Saturn's rings

Nature volume 309, pages 333–335 (1984)Cite this article

Abstract

Recent data obtained from the Voyager spacecrafts and ground-based measurements indicate: (1) the rings have a thickness of at most 150 m (ref. 1) and probably several times less2,3; (2) the rings are mostly composed of ice particles ranging from centimetres to metres in size4; (3) the rings are subdivided into a large number of ringlets with a radial dimension ranging from 10-km down to the several metres resolution of the Voyager spacecraft's camera5; (4) the B ring contains very many optical depth variations (0.6–3)3. This behaviour is essentially determined by the collisional properties of the rings' ice particles. Here we report some preliminary results from an experiment designed to measure the coefficient of restitution of ice particles colliding at impact velocities relevant to Saturn's rings. We apply these results to simple dynamical models for Saturn's rings and deduce the rings' thickness to be ≺5 m. We also show that regions with optical depth <0.5, such as the B ring, are unstable to viscous diffusion. Such an instability may be the cause of optical depth variations in the B ring.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Board of Studies in Physics, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, 95064, USA

    Frank G. Bridges

  2. Lick Observatory and Board of Studies in Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, 95064, USA

    A. Hatzes & D. N. C. Lin

Authors
  1. Frank G. Bridges
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  2. A. Hatzes
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  3. D. N. C. Lin
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Bridges, F., Hatzes, A. & Lin, D. Structure, stability and evolution of Saturn's rings. Nature 309, 333–335 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/309333a0

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