Cassini UVIS Solar Occultations as Probes of Particle Size Distribution in Saturn's F Ring

We analyze solar occultation data from Cassini's Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) in order to measure the particle size distribution in Saturn's F ring. We consider both the attenuated signal and the light diffracted by the particles in the ring during the occultation to determine the size distribution of sub-centimeter ring particles. We present the analysis of 16 solar occultations in UVIS EUV data, with emphasis on features produced by diffraction by micron-sized particles in Saturn's F ring. The detections of small particles in the UVIS data are indicative of ongoing collisions in the F ring. We will discuss the correlation of small particle detections with known collisional events in the F ring.