Dynamics of dust rings and satellites of Uranus and Saturn's F-ring

• Grant number: 06/06848-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: March 01, 2007
• End date: February 28, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy
• Principal Investigator: Silvia Maria Giuliatti Winter
• Grantee: Rafael Sfair de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEG). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Guaratinguetá. Guaratinguetá , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In 1986 Voyager II spacecraft confirmed the existence of Uranus' rings, which were previously discovered by stellar occultation. The spacecraft also found new small satellites and dusty rings. Recent data from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) discovered two small satellites, Mab and Cupid, increasing to ten the number of bodies in the Portia's family. Additionally two new tenuous rings (R/2003 U1 e R/2003 U2) were recently detected, which one of them is coorbital to the satellite Mab. Showalter & Lissauer (2005) compared HST data and Voyager II data and found significantly changes in the orbital elements of several satellites.In this work we propose to analyse the dynamics of the small rings and the satellites of Portia's family using numerical simulation. The stability of the satellites system will be analysed taking into account the mutual gravitational interaction between the satellites. We will also analyse the stability, formation and evolution of the tenuous rings and the interaction between rings and satellites.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

OLIVEIRA, Rafael Sfair de. Dinâmica dos anéis de poeira e satélites de Urano e do anel F de Saturno. 2011. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Engenharia. Guaratinguetá Guaratinguetá.