The gravitational influence of satellite Pan on the radial distribution of ring-particles in the region of the Encke-division in Saturn's a ring

Here we summarize the models and their similarities with respect to the gravitational influence of small satellites (moonlets) embedded in planetary rings, which have been developed by Petit and Hénon (1987a,b; 1988) and by Spahn (1987; Spahn et al. 1989; 1992). The results and their applicabilities are shown in the case of the Encke-gap Moon Pan located in the outer A-ring of Saturn's rings. To compare the model-profiles with the experimental ones (optical depth profile measured by Voyager-photopolarimeter), the structures embedded in the latter have been confirmed statistically using the wavelet analysis method. This analysis points to a size of Pan of about 13 km and an eccentricity of 10^–4 of its orbit.