Abstract
The currently accepted model for Neptune arc confinement relies on the radial and azimuthal confining perturbations due to the nearby satellite, Galatea. This model calls for arc particle orbits exhibiting a negative eccentricity gradient and crossing at quadrature, a configuration that paradoxically leads to collisions energetic enough to disrupt arc confinement. We confirm with numerical collisionalN-body simulations that the confinement mechanism relying on a 42:43 corotation–inclination resonance and a 42:43 outer Lindblad resonance with Galatea is indeed capable of confining a large population of 10-m-size and bigger particles over short time scales. Moreover, we find that an 84:86 outer vertical resonance, also due to Galatea, falling within 20 m of the arcs' radial position, effectively reduces the collision frequency and relative collisional velocities and consequently stabilizes the arcs over long time scales against the disruptive effects of collisions.
Published Version
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