It is shown that a configuration of alternating rings and moonlets could be the natural outcome of an evolutionary history of Uranus starting from a simple initial condition. In the evolution of the system, the ring material was confined in very narrow zones due to the shepherding mechanism. The tidally-evolving shepherding moonlets were captured into stable resonance configurations with the outer Uranian satellites. This scenario is not consistent with the hypothesis that the ring system is a young and short-lived phenomemon, since its evolution was governed by tidal orbital decays which require long timescales. The system around Uranus could be the typical end-product of tidal evolution and breakup of a satellite which occurred many times in the history of the solar system and will occur again to objects like Phobos and Triton.
Tidal breakup and origin of the Uranian ring system
MILANI COMPARETTI, ANDREA;NOBILI, ANNA MARIA;PAOLICCHI, PAOLO
1984
Abstract
It is shown that a configuration of alternating rings and moonlets could be the natural outcome of an evolutionary history of Uranus starting from a simple initial condition. In the evolution of the system, the ring material was confined in very narrow zones due to the shepherding mechanism. The tidally-evolving shepherding moonlets were captured into stable resonance configurations with the outer Uranian satellites. This scenario is not consistent with the hypothesis that the ring system is a young and short-lived phenomemon, since its evolution was governed by tidal orbital decays which require long timescales. The system around Uranus could be the typical end-product of tidal evolution and breakup of a satellite which occurred many times in the history of the solar system and will occur again to objects like Phobos and Triton.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
