Polarimetry of Saturn's Satellite Rhea

Results of polarimetric observations of Saturn's satellite Rhea obtained in the range of phase angles from 0.76 degrees to 5.96 degrees are presented. The observations were carried out in the WR spectral band (550-750 nm) at the 2.6-m telescope equipped with a single-channel photometer-polarimeter at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in the period from March 23, 2012, to May 2, 2014. From the results of the observations, the phase dependence of linear polarization of Rhea was built. The parameters of this dependence are compared to those of the high-albedo satellites of Jupiter, Japetus, and medium-albedo satellites of Uranus. The obtained results are discussed in terms of the currently available models of the light scattering by regolith surfaces.