Kinetik planetarer Ringe: Implikationen für die Cassini Mission

• Applicant: Professor Frank Spahn, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: from 2004 to 2008
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5420033

The main goal of the proposed project is to derive an extended hydrodynamic description of planetary rings based on a kinetic theory including an impact-velocity dependent restitution coefficient based on plasto-visco-elastic dissipation during collisions. Processes of aggregation, fragmentation, the influence of self-gravity and of anisotropies shall be included in the basic kinetics. Solutions of the related equations will provide the dynamics of the mass spectrum and the velocity distribution. By applying Chapman-Enskog expansion or Grad moment approach, hydrodynamic equations and transport coefficients appropriate for planetary rings will be derived. The characteristics of these macroscopic equations will be analyzed in dependence on the particle interactions. Implications for the generation of dissipative structures will be verified. The results of these investigations will be compared with observations of the space-mission Cassini - arriving at Saturn in summer 2004.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants