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arXiv · 2609.31580

Inclination of Miranda as a Constraint on the Tidal Dissipation of Uranus

Maryame El Moutamid·Matija Ćuk
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Abstract

The five major moons of Uranus record a complicated geological history characterized by both tectonic resurfacing and heavy impact cratering, connecting their evolution to dynamical processes in the Solar System. Miranda, the smallest and closest major moon to Uranus, has an unusually large orbital inclination ($4.3^\circ$) and an remarkable surface geology dominated by coronae and tectonic structures. In this paper we explore whether Miranda's inclination and geological history can be explained through past orbital resonances within the Uranian satellite system. Using direct $N$-body integrations with the code SIMPL, we explore the tidal and dynamical evolution of the five major moons while assuming a fast tidal dissipation of Uranus and varying the internal responses of the satellites. Our simulations confirm that Miranda's inclination can be excited through resonant interactions involving Ariel and Umbriel, even when Miranda mean motion is not involved in that resonance. The Ariel-Umbriel 5:3 mean-motion resonance appears to be the most recent major dynamical event capable of driving Miranda's inclination to its current value. We compute the tidal heating associated with these resonance encounters and show that, for a strongly dissipative Uranus ($Q_U\sim600$), the resonance could cause heat fluxes in Miranda approaching those required to form its coronae. These results could provide new constraints on Uranus's tidal dissipation.

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Maryame El Moutamid, Matija Ćuk. 2026-09-25. Inclination of Miranda as a Constraint on the Tidal Dissipation of Uranus. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.31580

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