Publication Abstracts

Mishchenko and Dlugach 1992

Mishchenko, M.I., and J.M. Dlugach, 1992: Can weak localization of photons explain the opposition effect of Saturn's rings? Mon. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc., 254, 15P-18P.

Weak localization of photons in discrete disordered media (or the coherent backscattering mechanism) is shown to be a likely explanation of the opposition effect exhibited by Saturn's rings. Specifically, we assume that the particles of Saturn's rings are covered with small H2O ice grains and compute theoretically the opposition effect produced by these grains via the coherent backscattering mechanism. Both the width and amplitude of the observed opposition effect at visible wavelengths are consistent with theoretical calculations for effective grain radii of about 0.1-1.0 µm. Such grains are known to be present in the outer B ring of Saturn and give rise to the so-called 'spokes'. Thus, we demonstrate that the opposition effect of Saturn's rings may be due to the surface properties of the individual ring particles rather than to interparticle shadowing, as is usually assumed.

  • Get PDF (626 kB. Document is scanned, no OCR.)
  • PDF documents require the free Adobe Reader or compatible viewing software to be viewed.

Export citation: [ BibTeX ] [ RIS ]

BibTeX Citation

@article{mi01500p,
  author={Mishchenko, M. I. and Dlugach, J. M.},
  title={Can weak localization of photons explain the opposition effect of Saturn's rings?},
  year={1992},
  journal={Mon. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc.},
  volume={254},
  pages={15P--18P},
}

[ Close ]

RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - mi01500p
AU  - Mishchenko, M. I.
AU  - Dlugach, J. M.
PY  - 1992
TI  - Can weak localization of photons explain the opposition effect of Saturn's rings?
JA  - Mon. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc.
VL  - 254
SP  - 15P
EP  - 18P
ER  -

[ Close ]

• Return to 1992 Publications

• Return to Publications Homepage