414 research outputs found
Collisional and dynamic evolution of dust from the asteroid belt
The size and spatial distribution of collisional debris from main belt asteroids is modeled over a 10 million year period. The model dust and meteoroid particles spiral toward the Sun under the action of Poynting-Robertson drag and grind down as they collide with a static background of field particles
The origin and evolution of the zodiacal dust cloud
We have now analyzed a substantial fraction of the IRAS observations of the zodiacal cloud, particularly in the 25 micron waveband. We have developed a gravitational perturbation theory that incorporates the effects of Poynting-Robertson light drag (Gomes and Dermott, 1992). We have also developed a numerical model, the SIMUL mode, that reproduces the exact viewing geometry of the IRAS telescope and calculates the distribution of thermal flux produced by any particular distribution of dust particle orbits (Dermott and Nicholson, 1989). With these tools, and using a distribution of orbits based on those of asteroidal particles with 3.4 micron radii whose orbits decay due to Poynting-Robertson light drag and are perturbed by the planets, we have been able to: (1) account for the inclination and node of the background zodiacal cloud observed by IRAS in the 25 micron waveband; (2) relate the distribution of orbits in the Hirayama asteroid families to the observed shapes of the IRAS solar system dustbands; and (3) show that there is observational evidence in the IRAS data for the transport of asteroidal particles from the main belt to the Earth by Poynting-Robertson light drag
Searching for Saturn's Dust Swarm: Limits on the size distribution of Irregular Satellites from km to micron sizes
We describe a search for dust created in collisions between the Saturnian
irregular satellites using archival \emph{Spitzer} MIPS observations. Although
we detected a degree scale Saturn-centric excess that might be attributed to an
irregular satellite dust cloud, we attribute it to the far-field wings of the
PSF due to nearby Saturn. The Spitzer PSF is poorly characterised at such
radial distances, and we expect PSF characterisation to be the main issue for
future observations that aim to detect such dust. The observations place an
upper limit on the level of dust in the outer reaches of the Saturnian system,
and constrain how the size distribution extrapolates from the smallest known
(few km) size irregulars down to micron-size dust. Because the size
distribution is indicative of the strength properties of irregulars, we show
how our derived upper limit implies irregular satellite strengths more akin to
comets than asteroids. This conclusion is consistent with their presumed
capture from the outer regions of the Solar System.Comment: accepted to MNRA
Structure of Possible Long-lived Asteroid Belts
High resolution simulations are used to map out the detailed structure of two
long-lived stable belts of asteroid orbits in the inner Solar system. The
Vulcanoid belt extends from 0.09 to 0.20 astronomical units (au), though with a
gaps at 0.15 and 0.18 au corresponding to de-stabilising mean motion resonances
with Mercury and Venus. As collisional evolution proceeds slower at larger
heliocentric distances, kilometre-sized or larger Vulcanoids are most likely to
be found in the region between 0.16 and 0.18 au. The optimum location in which
to search for Vulcanoids is at geocentric ecliptic longitudes roughly between 9
and 10 degrees. Dynamically speaking, the Earth-Mars belt between 1.08-1.28 au
is an extremely stable repository for asteroids on nearly circular orbits. It
is interrupted at 1.21 au due to the 3:4 commensurability with the Earth, while
secular resonances with Saturn are troublesome beyond 1.17 au. These detailed
maps of the fine structure of the belts can be used to plan search
methodologies. Strategies for detecting members of the belts are discussed,
including the use of infrared wide-field imaging with VISTA, and forthcoming
European Space Agency satellite missions like GAIA and BepiColombo.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, in press at MNRAS as a Lette
Debris disk size distributions: steady state collisional evolution with P-R drag and other loss processes
We present a new scheme for determining the shape of the size distribution,
and its evolution, for collisional cascades of planetesimals undergoing
destructive collisions and loss processes like Poynting-Robertson drag. The
scheme treats the steady state portion of the cascade by equating mass loss and
gain in each size bin; the smallest particles are expected to reach steady
state on their collision timescale, while larger particles retain their
primordial distribution. For collision-dominated disks, steady state means that
mass loss rates in logarithmic size bins are independent of size. This
prescription reproduces the expected two phase size distribution, with ripples
above the blow-out size, and above the transition to gravity-dominated
planetesimal strength. The scheme also reproduces the expected evolution of
disk mass, and of dust mass, but is computationally much faster than evolving
distributions forward in time. For low-mass disks, P-R drag causes a turnover
at small sizes to a size distribution that is set by the redistribution
function (the mass distribution of fragments produced in collisions). Thus
information about the redistribution function may be recovered by measuring the
size distribution of particles undergoing loss by P-R drag, such as that traced
by particles accreted onto Earth. Although cross-sectional area drops with
1/age^2 in the PR-dominated regime, dust mass falls as 1/age^2.8, underlining
the importance of understanding which particle sizes contribute to an
observation when considering how disk detectability evolves. Other loss
processes are readily incorporated; we also discuss generalised power law loss
rates, dynamical depletion, realistic radiation forces and stellar wind drag.Comment: Accepted for publication by Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical
Astronomy (special issue on EXOPLANETS
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