83 research outputs found
Current evolution of meteoroids
The observed mass distribution of meteoroids at 1 AU from the sun is briefly reviewed in a survey that ranges over the bulk of the mass spectrum from micrometeoroids to meteorite parent objects. The evolution of meteoroids under the influence of collisions, planetary perturbations, the Poynting-Robertson effect and radiation pressure is then discussed. Most micrometeoroids are expelled from the solar system by radiation pressure shortly after their production as secondary ejecta during impact by larger objects or as dust ejected by comets. Particles that survive will eventually be swept out by the Poynting-Robertson effect. Meteoroids in the radio and photographic ranges are destroyed in collisions faster than they can be replaced by the production of secondary fragments during collisions between larger objects
The lunar micrometeoroid experiment, L033
Use of Pioneer 7 and 8 cosmic dust detectors in Apollo 17 lunar ejecta and micrometeorite experiment to measure meteoroid fluxes on moo
On the origin and distribution of meteoroids
Influence of collisional and radiative processes on population of sporadic and shower meteoroid
A description of hypersonic laminar heat transfer at the stagnation point of a blunt body - case 110
Stagnation point convective heat transfer for blunt body moving at hypersonic spee
Mass distribution of asteroids
Approximate solution for large asteroid distribution with masses near limiting largest mass of populatio
Collisional model of asteroids and their debris
Collisional model of asteroids and their debri
Keck Pencil-Beam Survey for Faint Kuiper Belt Objects
We present the results of a pencil-beam survey of the Kuiper Belt using the
Keck 10-m telescope. A single 0.01 square degree field is imaged 29 times for a
total integration time of 4.8 hr. Combining exposures in software allows the
detection of Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) having visual magnitude V < 27.9. Two
new KBOs are discovered. One object having V = 25.5 lies at a probable
heliocentric distance d = 33 AU. The second object at V = 27.2 is located at d
= 44 AU. Both KBOs have diameters of about 50 km, assuming comet-like albedos
of 4%.
Data from all surveys are pooled to construct the luminosity function from
red magnitude R = 20 to 27. The cumulative number of objects per square degree,
N (< R), is fitted to a power law of the form log_(10) N = 0.52 (R - 23.5).
Differences between power laws reported in the literature are due mainly to
which survey data are incorporated, and not to the method of fitting. The
luminosity function is consistent with a power-law size distribution for
objects having diameters s = 50 to 500 km; dn ~ s^(-q) ds, where the
differential size index q = 3.6 +/- 0.1. The distribution is such that the
smallest objects possess most of the surface area, but the largest bodies
contain the bulk of the mass. Though our inferred size index nearly matches
that derived by Dohnanyi (1969), it is unknown whether catastrophic collisions
are responsible for shaping the size distribution. Implications of the absence
of detections of classical KBOs beyond 50 AU are discussed.Comment: Accepted to AJ. Final proof-edited version: references added,
discussion of G98 revised in sections 4.3 and 5.
The Size Distribution of Kuiper Belt Objects
We describe analytical and numerical collisional evolution calculations for
the size distribution of icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt. For a wide range of
bulk properties, initial masses, and orbital parameters, our results yield
power-law cumulative size distributions, N_C propto r^{-q}, with q_L = 3.5 for
large bodies with radii of 10-100 km, and q_s = 2.5-3 for small bodies with
radii lesss than 0.1-1 km. The transition between the two power laws occurs at
a break radius of 1-30 km. The break radius is more sensitive to the initial
mass in the Kuiper Belt and the amount of stirring by Neptune than the bulk
properties of individual Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs). Comparisons with
observations indicate that most models can explain the observed sky surface
density of KBOs for red magnitudes, R = 22-27. For R 28, the model
surface density is sensitive to the amount of stirring by Neptune, suggesting
that the size distribution of icy planets in the outer solar system provides
independent constraints on the formation of Neptune.Comment: 24 pages of text, 12 figures; to appear in the Astronomical Journal,
October 200
IR Kuiper Belt Constraints
We compute the temperature and IR signal of particles of radius and
albedo at heliocentric distance , taking into account the
emissivity effect, and give an interpolating formula for the result. We compare
with analyses of COBE DIRBE data by others (including recent detection of the
cosmic IR background) for various values of heliocentric distance, ,
particle radius, , and particle albedo, . We then apply these
results to a recently-developed picture of the Kuiper belt as a two-sector disk
with a nearby, low-density sector (40<R<50-90 AU) and a more distant sector
with a higher density. We consider the case in which passage through a
molecular cloud essentially cleans the Solar System of dust. We apply a simple
model of dust production by comet collisions and removal by the
Poynting-Robertson effect to find limits on total and dust masses in the near
and far sectors as a function of time since such a passage. Finally we compare
Kuiper belt IR spectra for various parameter values.Comment: 34 pages, LaTeX, uses aasms4.sty, 11 PostScript figures not embedded.
A number of substantive comments by a particularly thoughtful referee have
been addresse
A Ring of Warm Dust in the HD 32297 Debris Disk
We report the detection of a ring of warm dust in the edge-on disk
surrounding HD 32297 with the Gemini-N/MICHELLE mid-infrared imager. Our
N'-band image shows elongated structure consistent with the orientation of the
scattered-light disk. The Fnu(11.2 um) = 49.9+/-2.1 mJy flux is significantly
above the 28.2+/-0.6 mJy photosphere. Subtraction of the stellar point spread
function reveals a bilobed structure with peaks 0.5"-0.6" from the star. An
analysis of the stellar component of the SED suggests a spectral type later
than A0, in contrast to commonly cited literature values. We fit
three-dimensional, single-size grain models of an optically thin dust ring to
our image and the SED using a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm in a Bayesian
framework. The best-fit effective grain sizes are submicron, suggesting the
same dust population is responsible for the bulk of the scattered light. The
inner boundary of the warm dust is located 0.5"-0.7" (~65 AU) from the star,
which is approximately cospatial with the outer boundary of the scattered-light
asymmetry inward of 0.5". The addition of a separate component of larger,
cooler grains that provide a portion of the 60 um flux improves both the
fidelity of the model fit and consistency with the slopes of the
scattered-light brightness profiles. Previous indirect estimates of the stellar
age (~30 Myr) indicate the dust is composed of debris. The peak vertical
optical depths in our models (~0.3-1 x 1e-2) imply that grain-grain collisions
likely play a significant role in dust dynamics and evolution. Submicron grains
can survive radiation pressure blow-out if they are icy and porous. Similarly,
the inferred warm temperatures (130-200 K) suggest that ice sublimation may
play a role in truncating the inner disk.Comment: ApJ accepted, 8 pages, 4 figure
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