How Cassini Can Constrain Tidal Dissipation in Saturn

TL;DR

This paper explores how Cassini observations can distinguish between different mechanisms of tidal dissipation in Saturn, particularly resonance locking and inertial wave attractors, by detecting gravitational perturbations.

Contribution

It predicts observable gravitational perturbations caused by resonance locking, providing a method to test tidal dissipation theories in Saturn using Cassini data.

Findings

Resonance locking predicts detectable gravitational perturbations during Cassini's orbits.

Detection of gravity modes can constrain Saturn's internal stratification.

Inertial wave attractors likely produce undetectable gravitational signals.

Abstract

Tidal dissipation inside giant planets is important for the orbital evolution of their natural satellites. It is conventionally treated by parameterized equilibrium tidal theory, in which the tidal torque declines rapidly with distance, and orbital expansion was faster in the past. However, Lainey et al. (2017) find that some Saturnian satellites are currently migrating outward faster than predicted by equilibrium tidal theory. Resonance locking between satellites and internal oscillations of Saturn, proposed by Fuller et al. (2016), naturally matches the observed migration rates. Here, we show that the resonance locking theory predicts dynamical tidal perturbations to Saturn's gravitational field in addition to those produced by equilibrium tidal bulges. We show that these perturbations can likely be detected during Cassini's proximal orbits if migration of satellites results from resonant gravity modes, but will likely be undetectable if migration results from inertial wave attractors or dissipation of the equilibrium tide. Additionally, we show that the detection of gravity modes would place constraints on the size of the hypothetical stably stratified region in Saturn.