Saturn’s F ring grains: Aggregates made of crystalline water ice

We present models of the near-infrared (1–5 μm) spectra of Saturn’s F ring obtained by Cassini’s Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) at ultra-high phase angles (177.4–178.5°). Modeling this spectrum constrains the size distribution, composition, and structure of F ring particles in the 0.1–100 μm size range. These spectra are very different from those obtained at lower phase angles; they lack the familiar 1.5 and 2 μm absorption bands, and the expected 3 μm water ice primary absorption appears as an unusually narrow dip at 2.87 μm. We have modeled these data using multiple approaches. First, we use a simple Mie scattering model to constrain the size distribution and composition of the particles. The Mie model allows us to understand the overall shapes of the spectra in terms of dominance by diffraction at these ultra-high phase angles, and also to demonstrate that the 2.87 μm dip is associated with the Christiansen frequency of water ice (where the real refractive index passes unity). Second, we use a combination of Mie scattering with Effective Medium Theory to probe the effect of porous (but structureless) particles on the overall shape of the spectrum and depth of the 2.87 μm band. Such simple models are not able to capture the shape of this absorption feature well. Finally, we model each particle as an aggregate of discrete monomers, using the Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA) model, and find a better fit for the depth of the 2.87 μm feature. The DDA models imply a slightly different overall size distribution. We present a simple heuristic model which explains the differences between the Mie and DDA model results. We conclude that the F ring contains aggregate particles with a size distribution that is distinctly narrower than a typical power law, and that the particles are predominantly crystalline water ice.

► The F ring particle size distribution is limited to a range between 10 and 30 μm. ► Crystalline ice best captures the position of the central dip in the F ring spectrum. ► Aggregates provide a better fit for the central band of the spectrum. ► Aggregates are more effective scatterers than uniform particles. ► Surface-interface reflections are the cause of more efficient scattering in aggregates.