Gravitational influence of Saturn's rings on its moons

TL;DR

This paper explores how Saturn's rings and gravity influence the formation of circumferential ridges on its moons, suggesting that free-flowing regolith and gravitational interactions create observable surface features.

Contribution

It introduces a hypothesis that Saturn's rings and gravity can produce circumferential features on moons through free regolith flow, revealing potential new morphologies and interaction dynamics.

Findings

Ridges on moons may result from free regolith flow influenced by Saturn's gravity.

Features like a stationary torus around non-rotating satellites are possible.

Even low-density, distant disks can produce persistent surface features.

Abstract

Exploratory missions have found that regolith on interplanetary bodies can be loosely packed and freely flowing, a state that strongly affects mission plans and that may also influence the large scale shapes of these bodies. We investigate whether notable circumferential ridges seen on Saturn's moons may be a byproduct of free flow of loosely packed regolith. Such ridges and other features likely record the history of the moons, and we find that if surface grains are freely flowing, then the combined gravity of Saturn itself and its tenuous ring generate similar circumferential features. Moreover, analysis of these features reveals the possibility of previously unreported morphologies, for example a stationary torus around a non rotating satellite. Some of these features persist even for a very low density and distant disk. This raises the prospect that nonlinear analysis of interactions from disks to moons and back again may lead to new insights.