An Explanation for Neptune's Ring Arcs

@article{Porco1991AnEF,
  title={An Explanation for Neptune's Ring Arcs},
  author={Carolyn C. Porco},
  journal={Science},
  year={1991},
  volume={253},
  pages={1001 - 995}
}
  • C. Porco
  • Published 30 August 1991
  • Physics, Geology
  • Science
The Voyager mission revealed a complex system of rings and ring arcs around Neptune and uncovered six new satellites, four of which occupy orbits well inside the ring region. Analysis of Voyager data shows that a radial distortion with an amplitude of approximately 30 kilometers is traveling through the ring arcs, a perturbation attributable to the nearby satellite Galatea. Moreover, the arcs appear to be azimuthally confined by a resonant interaction with the same satellite, yielding a maximum… 
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78 Citations

The confinement of Neptune's ring arcs by the moon Galatea
TLDR
It is reported that a resonance based on Galatea's eccentricity is responsible for the angular confinement of the arcs, and the mass of the arc affects the precession of GalateA's eccentric orbit, which will enable a mass estimate from future observations ofGalatea'S eccentricity.
Stability of Neptune's ring arcs in question
Although all four of the gas-giant planets in the Solar System have ring systems, only Neptune exhibits ‘ring arcs’—stable clumps of dust that are discontinuous from each other. Two basic mechanisms…
Dynamical models of the arcs in Neptune's 63K ring (1989N1R)
Images of Neptune's ring arcs obtained by a ground-based telescope
Neptune has a collection of incomplete narrow rings, known as ring arcs, which should in isolation be destroyed by differential motion in a matter of months. Yet since first discovered by stellar…
The Source of Saturn's G Ring
TLDR
The origin of Saturn's narrow G ring has been unclear, but it is shown that it contains a bright arc located 167,495.6 ± 1.3 km from Saturn's center that could be derived from an arc of debris held in a resonance with Mimas.
Collisional Simulations of Neptune's Ring Arcs
Abstract The currently accepted model for Neptune arc confinement relies on the radial and azimuthal confining perturbations due to the nearby satellite, Galatea. This model calls for arc particle…
Arcs and clumps in the Encke division of Saturn's rings
Three tenuous rings/arcs for three tiny moons
Neptune’s ring arcs confined by coorbital satellites: dust orbital evolution through solar radiation
Here, we report the results of a set of numerical simulations of the system formed by Neptune, Galatea, dust ring particles, and hypothetical co-orbital satellites. This dynamical system depicts a…
Neptune's partial rings: action of galatea on self-gravitating arc particles
TLDR
Numerical simulations of Neptune's arcs show that self-gravity between macroscopic arc particles can prevent interparticle impacts and thereby stabilize their resonant confinement by Galatea, a satellite of Neptune, helping to explain how embedded satellites may affect the structure and evolution of planetary ring systems.
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