Saturn's inner moons: why are they so radar-bright?
Résumé
Saturn's inner moons are the radar-brightest objects in the Solar System. The radar brightness of Mimas, Enceladus and Tethys at 2.2-cm wavelength exceeds that of the Galilean satellites. This points to extremely fresh and clean water ice in their subsurface but also to the presence of scattering structures that are especially efficient at returning waves in the backscattering direction. In this paper, we present the final results of the Cassini radar observations of Saturn's moons and explore subsurface models that could explain the extremely high recorded radar returns in the inner system. Using a 3D electromagnetic code, we first test models in which the subsurfaces of these moons contain a random distribution of centimetric inclusions (pores or ice spheres).
Domaines
Planète et Univers [physics]Origine | Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) |
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