Origin of Chaos in the Prometheus-Pandora System

Abstract

We demonstrate that the chaotic orbits of Prometheus and Pandora are due to interactions associated with the 121:118 mean motion resonance. Differential precession splits this resonance into a quartet of components equally spaced in frequency. Libration widths of the individual components exceed the splitting resulting in resonance overlap which causes the chaos. A single degree of freedom model captures the essential features of the chaotic dynamics. Mean motions of Prometheus and Pandora wander chaotically in zones of width 1.8 deg/yr and 3.1 deg/yr, respectively.

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