The smallest particles in Saturn’s A and C Rings |
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Authors: | Rebecca A Harbison Philip D NicholsonMatthew M Hedman |
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Institution: | Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States |
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Abstract: | Radio occultations of Saturn’s main rings by spacecraft suggest a power law particle size-distribution down to sizes of the order of 1 cm (Marouf, E.A., Tyler, G.L., Zebker, H.A., Simpson, R.A., Eshleman, V.R. 1983]. Icarus 54, 189–211; Zebker, H.A., Marouf, E.A., Tyler, G.L. 1985]. Icarus 64, 531–548.). The lack of optical depth variations between ultraviolet and near-IR wavelengths indicate a lack of micron-sized particles. Between these two regimes, the particle-size distribution is largely unknown. A cutoff where the particle-size distribution turns over must exist, but the position and shape of it is not clear from existing studies. |
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Keywords: | Infrared observations Occultations Planetary rings Saturn rings Spectroscopy |
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