A traveling feature in Saturn’s rings

2016/06/27 by Morgan E. Rehnberg, Morgan Rehnberg, L. W. Esposito +9
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Density wave theory #Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies #High-pressure geophysics and materials #Janus #Materials science #Physics #Planet #Radial velocity #Rings of Saturn #Saturn #Stars #Swap (finance) #astro-ph.EP

paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2016.06.012

15 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Icarus

openalex publication_date 2016/06/27 · arxiv created 2016/07/18 · arxiv updated 2016/07/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

The co-orbital satellites of Saturn, Janus and Epimetheus, swap radial positions every 4.0 years. Since 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 velocity in the A ring and commensurate with the spiral density wave group velocity in the B ring.

Citations

• 100-metre-diameter moonlets in Saturn's A ring from observations of 'propeller' structures
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• The B-ring’s surface mass density from hidden density waves: Less than meets the eye?