Sometimes You Just Can't Put a Ring on It: Setting Constraints on Rings around Moons from Magnetic Fields

Abstract

All four giant planets and several minor bodies in the Solar System host rings. However, rings around moons have yet to be observed. A host planet can produce magnetic fields that affect its moons, adding a wealth of dynamical phenomena that could shape the properties of such ring systems. In this study, we investigate constraints on the stability of circumsatellitial rings (CSRs) under the effect of magnetic fields originating from the host planet, using both analytical and numerical methods. We find that the electric field induced by the rotation of the ambient planetary magnetosphere constitutes a significant perturbation on charged grains in CSRs. We demonstrate that this effect can de-orbit sufficiently charged grains on short timescales, providing a novel approach to constrain the properties of CSRs.

Accepted for publication in ApJ

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