Spectrophotometry of the small satellites of Saturn and their relationship to Iapetus, Phoebe, and Hyperion

We have obtained broadband spectrophotometric observations of four of the recently discovered small satellites of Saturn (Gladman et al., 2001, Nature 412, 163-166). The new data enable an understanding of the provenance, composition, and interrelationships among these satellites and the other satellites of Saturn, particularly Iapetus, Phoebe, and Hyperion. Temporal coverage of one satellite (S21 Tarvos) was sufficient to determine a partial rotational lightcurve. Our major findings include: (1) the satellites are red and similar in color, comparable to D-type asteroids, some KBOs, Iapetus, and Hyperion; (2) none of the satellites, including those from the “Phoebe Group” has any spectrophotometric relationship to Phoebe; and (3) S21 Tarvos exhibits a rotational lightcurve, although the data are not well-constrained and more observations are required to fit a definitive period. Dust created by meteoritic impacts and ejected from these satellites and additional undiscovered ones may be the source of the exogenous material deposited on the low-albedo side of Iapetus. Recent work which states that the small irregular satellites of Saturn have impacted Phoebe at least 6-7 times in the age of the Solar System (Nesvorny et al., 2003, Astron. J. 126, 398-429), suggests that such collisions may have propelled additional material from both Phoebe and the small irregular satellites toward Iapetus. The accretion of material from outer retrograde satellites may be a process that also occurs on Callisto and the uranian satellites.     

Iapetus surface variability revealed from statistical clustering of a VIMS mosaic: The distribution of CO2

We present a detailed study of an Iapetus mosaic of VIMS data with high spatial resolution (0.5 × 0.5° or ∼6.4 km/pixel). The spectra were taken in August 2007 and provide the highest VIMS spatial resolution data for this object during Cassini’s primary mission. We analyze this set of data using a statistical clustering approach to reduce the analysis of a large number of data (∼10⁴ spectra from 0.35 to 5.10 μm) to the study of seven representative groups accounting for 99.6% of the surface covered by the original sample. We analyze the spectral absorption bands in the spectra of the different clusters indicative of different composition over the observed surface. We find coherence between the distribution of the clusters and the geographical features on the surface. We give special attention to the study of the water ice and CO₂ bands. We find that CO₂ is widespread over the entire surface being studied, including the bright and dark areas on Iapetus’ surface, and is probably trapped at the molecular level with other materials. The strength of the CO₂ band in the areas where both, H₂O- and carbon-bearing materials exist, gives support to the hypothesis that this volatile is formed on the surface of Iapetus as a product of irradiation of these two components. Finally, we also compare the Iapetus CO₂ with that on other satellites confirming, that there are evident differences on the center, depth and width of the band on Iapetus and Phoebe, where CO₂ has been suggested to be endogenous.     

A contraction model for the flattening and equatorial ridge of Iapetus

Others have explained the excess flattening of Iapetus by a model in which the moon formed at a high spin rate, achieved isostatic equilibrium by very rapid interior heating caused by short-lived radioactive isotopes (SLRI), and subsequently cooled, locking in the excess flattening with respect to an equilibrium shape at its present spin rate. Here we propose an alternate model that does not require an unusually high initial spin rate or the SLRI. The initial formation of Iapetus results in a slightly oblate spheroid with porosity >10%. Radioactive heating by long-lived isotopes warms the interior to about 200 K, at which point it becomes ductile and the interior compacts by 10%, while the 120 km-thick exterior shell remains strong. The shell must deform to match the reduced volume of the ductile interior, and we propose that this deformation occurs along the equator, perhaps focused by a thinner equatorial shell. The final shape of the collapsed sphere matches the observed shape of Iapetus today, described as an oblate ellipse, except along the equator where strain concentration forms a broad ridge. To maintain this non-equilibrium shape, the thickness of the shell must exceed 120 km. Testing the equatorial focusing hypothesis will require a model that includes non-linear processes to account for the finite yield strength of the thick lithosphere. Nevertheless, we show that the stress in the lithosphere generated by the contraction of the interior is about 3 times greater than the stress needed to deform the lithosphere, so some type of lithospheric deformation is expected.     

Impact basin relaxation at Iapetus

We investigate impact basin relaxation on Iapetus by combining a 3D thermal evolution model (Robuchon, G., Choblet, G., Tobie, G., Cadek, O., Sotin, C., Grasset, O. [2010]. Icarus 207, 959-971) with a spherical axisymmetric viscoelastic relaxation code (Zhong, S., Paulson, A., Wahr, J. [2003]. Geophys. J. Int. 155, 679-695). Due to the progressive cooling of Iapetus, younger basins relax less than older basins. For an ice reference viscosity of 10¹⁴ Pa s, an 800 km diameter basin relaxes by 30% if it formed in the first 50 Myr but by 10% if it formed at 1.2 Gyr. Bigger basins relax more rapidly than smaller ones, because the inferred thickness of the ice shell exceeds the diameter of all but the largest basins considered. Stereo topography shows that all basins 600 km in diameter or smaller are relaxed by 25% or less. Our model can match the relaxation of all the basins considered, within error, by assuming a single basin formation age (4.36 Ga for our nominal viscosity). This result is consistent with crater counts, which show no detectable age variation between the basins examined.     

Ridge formation and de-spinning of Iapetus via an impact-generated satellite

We present a scenario for building the equatorial ridge and de-spinning Iapetus through an impact-generated disk and satellite. This impact puts debris into orbit, forming a ring inside the Roche limit and a satellite outside. This satellite rapidly pushes the ring material down to the surface of Iapetus, and then itself tidally evolves outward, thereby helping to de-spin Iapetus. This scenario can de-spin Iapetus an order of magnitude faster than when tides due to Saturn act alone, almost independently of its interior geophysical evolution. Eventually, the satellite is stripped from its orbit by Saturn. The range of satellite and impactor masses required is compatible with the estimated impact history of Iapetus.     

A spectroscopic study of the surfaces of Saturn's large satellites: H2O ice, tholins, and minor constituents

We present spectra of Saturn's icy satellites Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Rhea, and Hyperion, 1.0-2.5 μm, with data extending to shorter (Mimas and Enceladus) and longer (Rhea and Dione) wavelengths for certain objects. The spectral resolution (R=λ/Δλ) of the data shown here is in the range 800-1000, depending on the specific instrument and configuration used; this is higher than the resolution (R=225 at 3 μm) afforded by the Visual-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer on the Cassini spacecraft. All of the spectra are dominated by water ice absorption bands and no other features are clearly identified. Spectra of all of these satellites show the characteristic signature of hexagonal H₂O ice at 1.65 μm. We model the leading hemisphere of Rhea in the wavelength range 0.3-3.6 μm with the Hapke and the Shkuratov radiative transfer codes and discuss the relative merits of the two approaches to fitting the spectrum. In calculations with both codes, the only components used are H₂O ice, which is the dominant constituent, and a small amount of tholin (Ice Tholin II). Tholin in small quantities (few percent, depending on the mixing mechanism) appears to be an essential component to give the basic red color of the satellite in the region 0.3-1.0 μm. The quantity and mode of mixing of tholin that can produce the intense coloration of Rhea and other icy satellites has bearing on its likely presence in many other icy bodies of the outer Solar System, both of high and low geometric albedos. Using the modeling codes, we also establish detection limits for the ices of CO₂ (a few weight percent, depending on particle size and mixing), CH₄ (same), and NH₄OH (0.5 weight percent) in our globally averaged spectra of Rhea's leading hemisphere. New laboratory spectral data for NH₄OH are presented for the purpose of detection on icy bodies. These limits for CO₂, CH₄, and NH₄OH on Rhea are also applicable to the other icy satellites for which spectra are presented here. The reflectance spectrum of Hyperion shows evidence for a broad, unidentified absorption band centered at 1.75 μm.     

Deciphering the origin of the regular satellites of gaseous giants - Iapetus: The Rosetta ice-moon

Ever since their discovery the regular satellites of Jupiter and Saturn have held out the promise of providing an independent set of observations with which to test theories of planet formation. Yet elucidating their origins has proven elusive. Here we show that Iapetus can serve to discriminate between satellite formation models. Its accretion history can be understood in terms of a two-component gaseous subnebula, with a relatively dense inner region, and an extended tail out to the location of the irregular satellites, as in the SEMM model of Mosqueira and Estrada (2003a,b) (Mosqueira, I., Estrada, P.R. [2003a]. Icarus 163, 198-231; Mosqueira, I., Estrada, P.R. [2003b]. Icarus 163, 232-255). Following giant planet formation, planetesimals in the feeding zone of Jupiter and Saturn become dynamically excited, and undergo a collisional cascade. Ablation and capture of planetesimal fragments crossing the gaseous circumplanetary disks delivers enough collisional rubble to account for the mass budgets of the regular satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. This process can result in rock/ice fractionation as long as the make up of the population of disk crossers is non-homogeneous, thus offering a natural explanation for the marked compositional differences between outer solar nebula objects and those that accreted in the subnebulae of the giant planets. For a given size, icy objects are easier to capture and to ablate, likely resulting in an overall enrichment of ice in the subnebula. Furthermore, capture and ablation of rocky fragments become inefficient far from the planet for two reasons: the gas surface density of the subnebula is taken to drop outside the centrifugal radius, and the velocity of interlopers decreases with distance from the planet. Thus, rocky objects crossing the outer disks of Jupiter and Saturn never reach a temperature high enough to ablate either due to melting or vaporization, and capture is also greatly diminished there. In contrast, icy objects crossing the outer disks of each planet ablate due to the melting and vaporization of water-ice. Consequently, our model leads to an enhancement of the ice content of Iapetus, and to a lesser degree those of Titan, Callisto and Ganymede, and accounts for the (non-stochastic) compositions of these large, low-porosity outer regular satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. For this to work, the primordial population of planetesimals in the Jupiter-Saturn region must be partially differentiated, so that the ensuing collisional cascade produces an icy population of ?1 m size fragments to be ablated during subnebula crossing. We argue this is likely because the first generation of solar nebula ∼10 km planetesimals in the Jupiter-Saturn region incorporated significant quantities of ²⁶Al. This is the first study successfully to provide a direct connection between nebula planetesimals and subnebulae mixtures with quantifiable and observable consequences for the bulk properties of the regular satellites of Jupiter and Saturn, and the only explanation presently available for Iapetus’ low density and ice-rich composition.     

Sublimation’s impact on temporal change of albedo dichotomy on Iapetus

Iapetus, one of the saturnian moons, has an extreme albedo contrast between the leading and trailing hemispheres. The origin of this albedo dichotomy has led to several hypotheses, however it remains controversial. To clarify the origin of the dichotomy, the key approach is to investigate the detailed distribution of the dark material. Recent studies of impact craters and surface temperature from Cassini spacecraft data implied that sublimation of H₂O ice can occur on Iapetus’ surface. This ice sublimation can change the albedo distribution on the moon with time.In this study, we evaluate the effect of ice sublimation and simulate the temporal change of surface albedo. We assume the dark material and the bright ice on the surface to be uniformly mixed with a certain volume fraction, and the initial albedo distribution to incorporate the dark material deposits on the surface. That is, the albedo at the apex is lowest and concentrically increases in a sinusoidal pattern. This situation simulates that dark materials existed around the Iapetus’ orbit billions of years ago, and the synchronously rotating Iapetus swept the material and then deposited it on its surface. The evolution of the surface albedo during 4.0 Gyr is simulated by estimating the surface temperature from the insolation energy on Iapetus including the effect of Saturn’s eccentricity and Iapetus’ obliquity precession, and evaluating the sublimation rate of H₂O ice from the Iapetus’ surface.As a result, we found that the distribution of the surface albedo changed dramatically after 4.0 Gyr of evolution. The sublimation has three important effects on the resultant surface albedo. First, the albedo in the leading hemisphere has significantly decreased to approach the minimum value. Second, the albedo distribution has been elongated along the equator. Third, the edge of the low albedo region has become clear. Considering the effect of ice sublimation, the current albedo distribution can be reconstructed from the sinusoidal albedo distribution, suggesting the apex-antapex cratering asymmetry as a candidate for the origin of the albedo dichotomy. From the model analysis, we obtained an important aspect that the depth of the turn-over layer where the darkening process proceeded for 4 Gyr should be an order of 10 cm, which is consistent with evaluation from the Cassini radar observations.     

Identification of spectral units on Phoebe

We apply a multivariate statistical method to the Phoebe spectra collected by the VIMS experiment onboard the Cassini spacecraft during the flyby of June 2004. The G-mode clustering method, which permits identification of the most important features in a spectrum, is used on a small subset of data, characterized by medium and high spatial resolution, to perform a raw spectral classification of the surface of Phoebe. The combination of statistics and comparative analysis of the different areas using both the VIMS and ISS data is explored in order to highlight possible correlations with the surface geology. In general, the results by Clark et al. [Clark, R.N., Brown, R.H., Jaumann, R., Cruikshank, D.P., Nelson, R.M., Buratti, B.J., McCord, T.B., Lunine, J., Hoefen, T., Curchin, J.M., Hansen, G., Hibbitts, K., Matz, K.-D., Baines, K.H., Bellucci, G., Bibring, J.-P., Capaccioni, F., Cerroni, P., Coradini, A., Formisano, V., Langevin, Y., Matson, D.L., Mennella, V., Nicholson, P.D., Sicardy, B., Sotin, C., 2005. Nature 435, 66-69] are confirmed; but we also identify new signatures not reported before, such as the aliphatic CH stretch at 3.53 μm and the ∼4.4 μm feature possibly related to cyanide compounds. On the basis of the band strengths computed for several absorption features and for the homogeneous spectral types isolated by the G-mode, a strong correlation of CO₂ and aromatic hydrocarbons with exposed water ice, where the uniform layer covering Phoebe has been removed, is established. On the other hand, an anti-correlation of cyanide compounds with CO₂ is suggested at a medium resolution scale.     

Revisiting the thermal inertia of Iapetus: Clues to the thickness of the dark material

The energy balance at the surface of an airless planetary body is strongly influenced by the bolometric Bond albedo and the surface thermal inertia. Both of these values may be calculated through the application of a thermal model to measured surface temperatures. The accuracy of either, though, increases if the value of the other is better constrained. In this study, we used the improved global bolometric Bond albedo map of Iapetus derived from Cassini VIMS and ISS and Voyager ISS data in conjunction with Cassini CIRS temperature data to reevaluate surface thermal inertia across Iapetus. Results showed the thermal inertia of the dark terrain varies between 11 and 14.8 J m⁻² K⁻¹ s^−1/2 while the light material varies between 15 and 25 J m⁻² K⁻¹ s^−1/2. Using an approximation to the thermal properties of the dark overburden derived from our thermal inertia results, we can implement our thermal model to provide estimates on the dark material thickness, which was found to lie between 7 cm and 16 cm. In order to develop an accurate global thermal model, a weighted function that approximates the surface thermal inertia across Iapetus was developed and verified via our measurements. The global bolometric Bond albedo map, surface thermal inertia map, and the thermal model are then used to synthesize global temperature maps that may be used to study the stability of volatiles.     

The albedo dichotomy of Iapetus measured at UV wavelengths

The dramatic hemispheric dichotomy in albedo displayed by Saturn's moon Iapetus has intrigued astronomers for centuries. Here we report on far-ultraviolet observations of Iapetus' bright and dark terrains from Cassini. We compare the reflectance spectra of Iapetus's dark terrain, Hyperion and Phoebe and find that both Phoebe and Hyperion are richer in water ice than Iapetus' dark terrain. Spectra of the lowest latitudes of the dark terrain display the diagnostic water ice absorption feature; water ice amounts increase within the dark material away from the apex (at 90° W longitude, the center of the dark leading hemisphere), consistent with thermal segregation of water ice. The water ice in the darkest, warmest low latitude regions is not expected to be stable and may be a sign of ongoing or recent emplacement of the dark material from an exogenic source.     

The roughness of the dark side of Iapetus from the 2004 to 2005 flyby

The roughness of a planetary surface offers clues to its past geologic history. We apply a surface roughness model developed by Buratti and Veverka (Buratti, B.J., Veverka, J. [1985]. Icarus 64, 320-328) to Cassini ISS data from the January 1st, 2005 flyby of Iapetus. This model uses the observed scattering behavior to provide a depth to radius factor q quantifying the size of idealized craters on the surface. Our findings indicate that the surface on the dark side is significantly smoother than the surfaces of other icy low-albedo saturnian satellites. We have found that the average depth to radius on the leading (dark) side is 0.084, corresponding to a Hapke mean slope angle of 6°. As compared to the 13-33° Hapke mean slope angle of other icy satellites (Buratti, B.J., and 10 colleagues [2008]. Icarus 193, 309-322), our results present a clearly different picture for the leading surface of Iapetus, suggesting that the dark deposit contributes to the decrease in macroscopic surface roughness of the leading side. Attempts were made to obtain an average depth to radius value for the trailing (bright) side; however the scans of the bright side from this flyby exhibited large variations in albedo, resulting in results that were physically unrealistic.     

Solar phase curves and phase integrals for the leading and trailing hemispheres of Iapetus from the Cassini Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer

We performed photometry of Cassini Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer observations of Iapetus to produce the first phase integrals calculated directly from solar phase curves of Iapetus for the leading hemisphere and to estimate the phase integrals for the trailing hemisphere. We also explored the phase integral dependence on wavelength and geometric albedo. The extreme dichotomy of the brightness of the leading and trailing sides of Iapetus is reflected in their phase integrals. Our phase integrals, which are lower than the results of Morrison et al. (Morrison, D., Jones, T.J., Cruikshank, D.P., Murphy, R.E. [1975]. Icarus 24, 157-171) and Squyres et al. (Squyres, S.W., Buratti, B.J., Veverka, J., Sagan, C. [1984]. Icarus 59, 426-435), have profound implications on the energy balance and volatile transport on this icy satellite.     

Orbits and masses of Saturn's coorbital and F-ring shepherding satellites

We have obtained numerically integrated orbits for Saturn's coorbital satellites, Janus and Epimetheus, together with Saturn's F-ring shepherding satellites, Prometheus and Pandora. The orbits are fit to astrometric observations acquired with the Hubble Space Telescope and from Earth-based observatories and to imaging data acquired from the Voyager spacecraft. The observations cover the 38 year period from the 1966 Saturn ring plane crossing to the spring of 2004. In the process of determining the orbits we have found masses for all four satellites. The densities derived from the masses for Janus, Epimetheus, Prometheus, and Pandora in units of g cm⁻³ are , , , and , respectively.     

Production and detection of carbon dioxide on Iapetus

Cassini VIMS detected carbon dioxide on the surface of Iapetus during its insertion orbit. We evaluated the CO₂ distribution on Iapetus and determined that it is concentrated almost exclusively on Iapetus’ dark material. VIMS spectra show a 4.27-μm feature with an absorption depth of 24%, which, if it were in the form of free ice, requires a layer 31 nm thick. Extrapolating for all dark material on Iapetus, the total observable CO₂ would be 2.3 × 10⁸ kg.Previous studies note that free CO₂ is unstable at 10 AU over geologic timescales. Carbon dioxide could, however, be stable if trapped or complexed, such as in inclusions or clathrates. While complexed CO₂ has a lower thermal volatility, loss due to photodissociation by UV radiation and gravitational escape would occur at a rate of 2.6 × 10⁷ kg year⁻¹. Thus, Iapetus’ entire inventory of surface CO₂ could be lost within a few decades.The high loss/destruction rate of CO₂ requires an active source. We conducted experiments that generated CO₂ by UV radiation of simulated icy regolith under Iapetus-like conditions. The simulated regolith was created by flash-freezing degassed water, crushing it into sub-millimeter sized particles, and then mixing it with isotopically labeled amorphous carbon (¹³C) dust. These samples were placed in a vacuum chamber and cooled to temperatures between 50 K and 160 K. The samples were irradiated with UV light, and the products were measured using a mass spectrometer, from which we measured ¹³CO₂ production at a rate of 2.0 × 10¹² mol s⁻¹. Extrapolating to Iapetus and adjusting for the solar UV intensity and Iapetus’ surface area, we calculated that CO₂ production for the entire surface would be 1.1 × 10⁷ kg year⁻¹, which is only a factor of two less than the loss rate. As such, UV photochemical generation of CO₂ is a plausible source of the detected CO₂.     

Physisorption of CO2 on non-ice materials relevant to icy satellites

CO₂ is known to adsorb onto clay and other minerals when a significant atmospheric pressure is present. We have found that CO₂ can also adsorb onto some clays when the CO₂ partial pressure is effectively zero under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) if cooled to the surface temperatures of the icy satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. The strength of adsorption and the spectral characteristics of the adsorbed CO₂ infrared (IR) ν₃ absorption band near 4.25 μm depend on the composition and temperature of the adsorbent. CO₂ remains adsorbed onto the clay mineral montmorillonite for >10 s of min when exposed to a vacuum of ∼1×¹⁰⁻⁸ Torr at ∼125 K. CO₂ does not adsorb onto serpentine, goethite, or palagonite under these conditions. A small amount may adsorb onto kaolinite. When heated above 150 K under vacuum, the CO₂ desorbs from the montmorillonite within a few minutes. The ν₃ absorption band of CO₂ adsorbed onto montmorillonite at 125 K is similar to that of the CO₂ detected on the saturnian and Galilean satellites and is markedly different from CO₂ adsorbed onto montmorillonite at room temperature. We infer the adsorption process is physisorption and postulate that this mechanism may explain the presence and spectral characteristics of the CO₂ detected in the surfaces of these outer satellites.     

Titan trace gaseous composition from CIRS at the end of the Cassini-Huygens prime mission

This paper reports on the results from an extensive study of all nadir-looking spectra acquired by Cassini/CIRS during the 44 flybys performed in the course of the nominal mission (2004-2008). With respect to the previous study (Coustenis, A., and 24 colleagues [2007]. Icarus 189, 35-62, on flybys TB-T10) we present here a significantly richer dataset with, in particular, more data at high northern and southern latitudes so that the abundances inferred here at these regions are more reliable. Our enhanced high-resolution dataset allows us to infer more precisely the chemical composition of Titan all over the disk. We also include improved spectroscopic data for some molecules and updated temperature profiles. The latitudinal distributions of all of the gaseous species are inferred. We furthermore test vertical distributions essentially for acetylene (C₂H₂) from CIRS limb-inferred data and from current General Circulation Models for Titan and compare our results on all the gaseous abundances with predictions from 1-D photochemical-radiative models to check the reliability of the chemical reactions and pathways.     

A hydrocode calculation coupled with reaction kinetics of carbon compounds within an impact vapor plume and its implications for cometary impacts on Galilean satellites

The synthesis of organic molecules via chemical reactions within impact vapor plumes has been proposed as a mechanism to supply organics on a planet. However, the kinetics of chemical reactions within a rapidly expanding vapor plume or quenching process of the reactions has not been studied extensively. In this study, we constructed a new numerical model that calculates kinetics of the entire chemical reactions within an impact vapor plume. Numerical results revealed that the semi-analytical models proposed so far, in which the final amount of a chemical species was given by the equilibrium abundance at the quenching temperature of the fastest reaction path involving the species, underestimates the yield of organic molecules, such as HCN, by up to a factor of 10. This is because the previously used assumption that a species can achieve equilibrium with the rest of the reaction system via the fastest reaction path involving the species is not necessarily valid. Our analysis of the high-temperature H/C/N/O reaction system suggests that the quenching of slow reactions divides the reaction network into smaller reaction sub-systems isolated from the rest of the reaction system. Then, the fastest reaction path cannot equilibrate an isolated reaction sub-system with the rest of the reaction system. Simulation of this actual disequilibrium mechanism requires a simultaneous numerical calculation of the entire reaction network, which is equivalent to conducting a full kinetic model calculation, such as our model. Our numerical code makes it possible to discuss quantitatively the impact chemistry for various situations, such as the Galilean satellites. In this study, our numerical model is applied to the delivery of organic molecules via cometary impact on the Galilean satellites. Our numerical results indicate that small-particle impacts would produce HCN efficiently. Resulting HCN may freeze out immediately and be deposited on satellite surfaces, where it may be eventually converted into complex organics via irradiation of charged particle. On the other hand, large-size impacts may form transient CH₄-N₂ atmospheres, in which complex organics (tholin) may be formed via energy deposition of UV and/or charged particle. Resulting complex organics may subsequently precipitate on the satellite surfaces without clear correlation with the locations of impact craters. Such distribution of complex organics created by chemical reactions within vapor plumes due to cometary impacts may explain an absorption (4.57 μm) on Galilean satellites nonassociated with observable (moderate- and large-size) impact craters.     

Disk-integrated bolometric Bond albedos and rotational light curves of saturnian satellites from Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer

We present values from the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) of four fundamental disk-integrated spectrophotometric properties (bolometric Bond albedo, solar phase curve, phase integral, and geometric albedo at 7-15 different wavelengths in the λ = 0.35-5.1 μm range) for five mid-sized saturnian icy satellites: Rhea, Dione, Tethys, Mimas, and Enceladus. These values, which include data from the period 2004-2008 and add to past VIMS phase curves, include opposition surge effects at down to fractions of a degree in solar phase angle for several moons and extend to over double the solar phase angle coverage of the Voyager mission. We also present new rotational light curves for Rhea and Dione at 7 near-infrared bands not previously available in ground-based or spacecraft studies. The bolometric Bond albedos we derive are as follows: 0.48 ± 0.09 (Rhea), 0.52 ± 0.08 (Dione), 0.61 ± 0.09 (Tethys), 0.67 ± 0.10 (Mimas), and 0.85 ± 0.11 (Enceladus). We also provide breakdowns of the major photometric quantities in both leading and trailing hemispheres. These refined parameters can be used to construct future bolometric Bond albedo maps that will contribute to surface composition identification studies, as well as models of volatile transport and sublimation. Through such applications, these data will help to determine the physical properties of surface particles, how the E-ring affects the inner saturnian moons, what is responsible for the dark albedo patterns seen on Tethys, and if these moons (e.g., Dione) are geologically active.     

Compositional mapping of Saturn's satellite Dione with Cassini VIMS and implications of dark material in the Saturn system

Cassini VIMS has obtained spatially resolved imaging spectroscopy data on numerous satellites of Saturn. A very close fly-by of Dione provided key information for solving the riddle of the origin of the dark material in the Saturn system. The Dione VIMS data show a pattern of bombardment of fine, sub-0.5-μm diameter particles impacting the satellite from the trailing side direction. Multiple lines of evidence point to an external origin for the dark material on Dione, including the global spatial pattern of dark material, local patterns including crater and cliff walls shielding implantation on slopes facing away from the trailing side, exposing clean ice, and slopes facing the trailing direction which show higher abundances of dark material. Multiple spectral features of the dark material match those seen on Phoebe, Iapetus, Hyperion, Epimetheus and the F-ring, implying the material has a common composition throughout the Saturn system. However, the exact composition of the dark material remains a mystery, except that bound water and, tentatively, ammonia are detected, and there is evidence both for and against cyanide compounds. Exact identification of composition requires additional laboratory work. A blue scattering peak with a strong UV-visible absorption is observed in spectra of all satellites which contain dark material, and the cause is Rayleigh scattering, again pointing to a common origin. The Rayleigh scattering effect is confirmed with laboratory experiments using ice and 0.2-μm diameter carbon grains when the carbon abundance is less than about 2% by weight. Rayleigh scattering in solids is also confirmed in naturally occurring terrestrial rocks, and in previously published reflectance studies. The spatial pattern, Rayleigh scattering effect, and spectral properties argue that the dark material is only a thin coating on Dione's surface, and by extension is only a thin coating on Phoebe, Hyperion, and Iapetus, although the dark material abundance appears higher on Iapetus, and may be locally thick. As previously concluded for Phoebe, the dark material appears to be external to the Saturn system and may be cometary in origin. We also report a possible detection of material around Dione which may indicate Dione is active and contributes material to the E-ring, but this observation must be confirmed.