The radial distribution of water ice and chromophores across Saturn's system

Abstract

Over the last eight years, the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) aboard the Cassini orbiter has returned hyperspectral images in the 0.35-5.1 micron range of the icy satellites and rings of Saturn. These very different objects show significant variations in surface composition, roughness and regolith grain size as a result of their evolutionary histories, endogenic processes and interactions with exogenic particles. The distributions of surface water ice and chromophores, i.e. organic and non-icy materials, across the saturnian system, are traced using specific spectral indicators (spectral slopes and absorption band depths) obtained from rings mosaics and disk-integrated satellites observations by VIMS.

Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (Part 1)

References in corpus (4)

• Dynamics of the giant planets of the solar system in the gaseous proto-planetary disk and relationship to the current orbital architecture
• Accretion of Saturn's mid-sized moons during the viscous spreading of young massive rings: solving the paradox of silicate-poor rings versus silicate-rich moons
• Saturn's icy satellites and rings investigated by Cassini - VIMS. III. Radial compositional variability
• Connections between Spectra and Structure in Saturn's Main Rings Based on Cassini VIMS Data

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