Origins of the rings of Uranus and Neptune. II - Initial conditions and ring moon populations

Catastrophic fragmentation of the ring moons of Uranus and Neptune occurs in approximately 10 exp 8 years. The fate of the debris following a fragmenting impact is central to understanding the evolution of these satellites and the hypothesized origin of rings from their debris. In this paper the possible effects of the velocity distribution of fragments following a catastrophic fragmentation on satellite diminution via a collisional cascade is examined. Fragment velocities are critical in the evolution of the collisional cascade because of the possibility of reaccretion following disruption. The fragment velocity distribution is used to calculate the initial phase space distribution of the new ring particles. This provides a physically realistic initial condition for simulations of the collisional evolution of planetary rings.