The origin and evolution of the Uranian dust rings
Thesis/Dissertation
·
OSTI ID:6101281
The numerous dust bands discovered by Voyager 2 at Uranus have lifetimes on the order of 100 years against orbital decay by exospheric drag. A system of low optical depth rings of 10 meter to 1 km sized bodies (moonlet belts) are proposed as continuing sources of the dust particles. The ring system is modeled as a Markov Chain consisting of states through which dust particle evolve with time. Physical processes included in the model are orbit decay by exospheric drag and Poynting-Robertson light drag; destruction of grains by meteoroid impact; transport of dust through the classical rings and moonlet belts; creation of dust particles from meteoroid impacts onto rings, moons, and moonlet belts; liberation of regolith material through ring and moonlet belt particle collisions; and sweepup of ejecta by ring and moonlet belt particles. The optical depth profiles for the main rings from Voyager 2 Photopolarimeter Subsystem (PPS) occultation observation are used in modeling the transport of dust through the rings. Simulations of the Uranus ring system show that this model reproduces the observed characteristics of the Uranus dust rings. The moonlet belt model is applied to the rings of Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune, and is capable of reproducing some of the observed characteristics of those ring systems. The moonlet belt objects fit on a collisionally derived power-law size distribution with the other components of the ring moon systems. Since the rings and moonlet belts have lifetimes due to viscous spreading less than the age of the solar system, a net model of planetary rings emerges in which the rings are continually created from the disruption of small satellites by meteoroid bombardment.
- Research Organization:
- Colorado Univ., Boulder, CO (USA). Cooperative Inst. for Research in Environmental Sciences
- OSTI ID:
- 6101281
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
The orbits of the uranian satellites and rings, the gravity field of the uranian system, and the orientation of the pole of Uranus
Photometry from Voyager 2: Initial results from the Neptunian atmosphere, satellites, and rings
Existence of undiscovered Uranian satellites
Journal Article
·
Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014
· Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online)
·
OSTI ID:22342237
Photometry from Voyager 2: Initial results from the Neptunian atmosphere, satellites, and rings
Journal Article
·
Thu Dec 14 23:00:00 EST 1989
· Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)
·
OSTI ID:5371663
Existence of undiscovered Uranian satellites
Technical Report
·
Mon Mar 31 23:00:00 EST 1986
·
OSTI ID:5928763