Rings around giant planets and smaller bodies

TL;DR

This paper reviews the diverse characteristics, formation mechanisms, and observational challenges of planetary rings around giant planets, small bodies, and potential exoplanets, highlighting their significance in understanding planetary system evolution.

Contribution

It synthesizes current knowledge on ring systems, compares formation theories, and discusses observational prospects for rings around exoplanets and small bodies.

Findings

Rings form through low-velocity impacts and gravitational accretion.

Gravitational and non-gravitational forces influence ring structure.

Future observations may reveal more ring-moon systems around small bodies and exoplanets.

Abstract

All the four giant planets in our Solar System have rings, but their characteristics are very different. The rings consist of a number of small particles, although individual particles have not been directly imaged. Near the central planet, colliding particles bounce off each other in low-velocity impacts but cannot gravitationally merge due to the effect of the tidal force, resulting in the formation of rings, whereas in more distant regions particles can gravitationally accrete to form satellites. Rings exhibit various types of fine structure, and the mutual gravitational forces between particles and the gravity from satellites play an important role in rings of macroscopic particles, while non-gravitational forces are important for dusty rings. There are several theories about the origin of rings, and formation mechanisms are likely to be different among different ring systems. The rings of small Solar System bodies were discovered through observations of occultations of stars by these bodies. It is natural to expect that some exoplanets should also have rings, but their detection remains challenging. Future discovery of more ring-moon systems around small bodies and exoplanets will provide clues to understanding the formation and evolution of the central bodies that host them.