Exploring local N-body simulations of Saturnʹs rings

The dynamical behavior of low and moderately high optical depth regions of Saturnʹs ring system of discrete, mutually gravitating, and inelastically colliding particles is studied by simplified local N-body simulations in Hillʹs linearized equations context. The focus is on a statistical analysis of time-evolution of fine-scale structures seen in the simulations and the comparison between theoretical predictions and computer experiments. Prospects for the Cassini spacecraft mission are briefly summarized.