MOONLETS IN SATURN'S RINGS

[[abstract]]The brightness structure within Cassini's division in Saturn's rings is explained in terms of perturbations produced by moonlets embedded within an optically thin disk of smaller ring particles. The moonlets exert gravitational torques on neighbouring ring particles and create gaps; diffusion acts to fill the gaps. A new explanation is offered for the inner edge of the Cassini division being located at the 2:1 resonance with Mimas.[[fileno]]2010118010105[[department]]物理