Misaligned rings around minor planets with moons

TL;DR

This paper analytically explores how moons can cause rings around minor planets to become misaligned, providing criteria for their existence and implications for future observations.

Contribution

It introduces a new analytical framework to understand the formation of misaligned rings around minor bodies due to satellite perturbations.

Findings

Moons can induce off-equatorial rings around minor planets.

Derived criteria for orbital elements allowing misaligned rings.

Predictions testable with upcoming deep sky surveys.

Abstract

Recent observations have confirmed the existence of rings around minor bodies in the outer Solar System. These objects may possess satellites as well. Here we analytically investigate the interaction between such rings and satellites. We show that the perturbations from the moons may efficiently lead to off-equatorial rings around minor bodies like trans-neptunian objects or centaurs. In particular, we derive criteria for the orbital elements under which such misaligned rings may exist. These considerations will be easily testable with the upcoming deep sky surveys.