# DDA 2015 – Irregular Structure in Saturn’s Huygens Ringlet

This is one of a series of notes taken during the 2015 meeting of the AAS Division on Dynamical Astronomy, 3-7 May, at CalTech. An index to this series (all the papers presented at the meeting) is here.

### Session: Ring Dynamics

Joseph Spitale (PSI)

#### Abstract

Saturn’s Huygens ringlet is a narrow eccentric ringlet located ~250 km exterior to the outer edge of Saturn’s B ring. Based on about 5 years of Cassini observations, the ringlet contains multiple wavenumber-2 patterns superimposed on its edges (Spitale et al., in prep). Additional higher-order modes may be present, but a few km of radial variation on the edge of the ringlet likely cannot be explained by normal modes with pattern speeds appropriate for those modes. Instead, there is an irregular component to the ringlet’s shape that moves at a speed near the local Keplerian rate and is recognizable for multiple years. The pattern sometimes appears inverted, suggesting that the shape arises from a perturbation in eccentricity rather than semimajor axis. The synodic period between the inner and outer edges of the ring is ~5 years, so a significant evolution of the pattern would be expected if the shape were driven by multiple embedded perturbers distributed across the ring. The relatively static shape of the pattern may indicate that only perturbers with semimajor axes in a narrow region close to the edges of the ringlet play a role. A better understanding of the effect of embedded bodies on ring edges is needed.

#### Notes

• Broad trend: $m=1$
• Other normal modes present (Spitale & Hahn 2015)
• $r(\theta,t) = a\{\sum_{i=0}^n e_i \cos m_i \left[\theta\, – \varpi_0^i – \Omega_p^i (t-t_0)\right]\}$
• width-radius relation: $W(r) = \delta a \left[1\, – \left(e + \frac{q}{e}\right)\left(1-\frac{r}{a}\right)\right]$
• Features track embedded massive objects
• Persist for at least 3.5 yr
• Synogic periods much longer than 3.5 yr
• Wakes?
• Wake-like structures originate at two points on the inner edge
• $\rightarrow$ two dominant masses
• eccentricity perturbations clues to dynamiics
• Occupy narrow band near inner edge