Evidence that a novel type of satellite wake might exist in Saturn's E ring

TL;DR

This paper suggests the possible existence of a new type of satellite wake in Saturn's E ring caused by particles near Enceladus, which could reveal details about particle orbits and ring dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of satellite wakes involving particles on horseshoe orbits near Enceladus, a novel observation in Saturn's E ring.

Findings

Potential detection of satellite wakes near Enceladus

Sensitivity of wake signatures to particle orbital properties

Implications for E-ring particle dynamics and evolution

Abstract

Saturn's E ring consists of micron-sized particles launched from Enceladus by that moon's geological activity. A variety of small-scale structures in the E-ring's brightness have been attributed to tendrils of material recently launched from Enceladus. However, one of these features occurs at a location where Enceladus' gravitational perturbations should concentrate background E-ring particles into structures known as satellite wakes. While satellite wakes have been observed previously in ring material drifting past other moons, these E-ring structures would be the first examples of wakes involving particles following horseshoe orbits near Enceladus' orbit. The predicted intensity of these wake signatures are particularly sensitive to the fraction E-ring particles' on orbits with low eccentricities and semi-major axes just outside of Enceladus' orbit, and so detailed analyses of these and other small-scale E-ring features should place strong constraints on the orbital properties and evolution of E-ring particles.