Plasmatization and recondensation of the Saturnian rings

One major puzzle from the ground-based and Voyager observations of the saturnian system concerns the presence of the E ring and its possible relationship to the icy satellite, Enceladus^1-3. Several issues concerning the surface property and interior condition of Enceladus remain unresolved if it is the main supplier of the E-ring particulate matter. Here we explore the intriguing alternative that the mass supply and orbital configuration of the E ring may be derived from a mass and momentum coupling between the A ring and the tenuous E ring a process of plasmatization and recondensation of the A-ring icy material. In the same way, the C ring could be replenished by the B ring. In this new view, plasma transport has a very important role in the dynamical evolution of the saturnian ring system.