50 research outputs found
Near-Earth Asteroid Satellite Spins Under Spin-Orbit Coupling
We develop a fourth-order numerical integrator to simulate the coupled spin
and orbital motions of two rigid bodies having arbitrary mass distributions
under the influence of their mutual gravitational potential. We simulate the
dynamics of components in well-characterized binary and triple near-Earth
asteroid systems and use surface of section plots to map the possible spin
configurations of the satellites. For asynchronous satellites, the analysis
reveals large regions of phase space where the spin state of the satellite is
chaotic. For synchronous satellites, we show that libration amplitudes can
reach detectable values even for moderately elongated shapes. The presence of
chaotic regions in the phase space has important consequences for the evolution
of binary asteroids. It may substantially increase spin synchronization
timescales, explain the observed fraction of asynchronous binaries, delay
BYORP-type evolution, and extend the lifetime of binaries. The variations in
spin rate due to large librations also affect the analysis and interpretation
of lightcurve and radar observations.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, Published in A
Planetary Bistatic Radar
Planetary radar observations offer the potential for probing the properties
of characteristics of solid bodies throughout the inner solar system and at
least as far as the orbit of Saturn. In addition to the direct scientific
value, precise orbital determinations can be obtained from planetary radar
observations, which are in turn valuable for mission planning or spacecraft
navigation and planetary defense. The next-generation Very Large Array would
not have to be equipped with a transmitter to be an important asset in the
world's planetary radar infrastructure. Bistatic radar, in which one antenna
transmits (e.g., Arecibo or Goldstone) and another receives, are used commonly
today, with the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) serving as a receiver. The improved
sensitivity of the ngVLA relative to the GBT would improve the signal-to-noise
ratios on many targets and increase the accessible volume specifically for
asteroids. Goldstone-ngVLA bistatic observations would have the potential of
rivaling the sensitivity of Arecibo, but with much wider sky access.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, To be published in the ASP Monograph Series,
"Science with a Next-Generation VLA", ed. E. J. Murphy (ASP, San Francisco,
CA
Capabilities of Earth-based radar facilities for near-Earth asteroid observations
We evaluated the planetary radar capabilities at Arecibo, the Goldstone 70-m
DSS-14 and 34-m DSS-13 antennas, the 70-m DSS-43 antenna at Canberra, the Green
Bank Telescope, and the Parkes Radio Telescope in terms of their relative
sensitivities and the number of known near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) detectable
per year in monostatic and bistatic configurations. In the 2015 calendar year,
monostatic observations with Arecibo and DSS-14 were capable of detecting 253
and 131 NEAs respectively, with signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) greater than
30/track. Combined, the two observatories were capable of detecting 276 NEAs.
Of these, Arecibo detected 77 and Goldstone detected 32, or 30% and 24% the
numbers that were possible. The two observatories detected an additional 18 and
7 NEAs respectively, with SNRs of less than 30/track. This indicates that a
substantial number of potential targets are not being observed. The bistatic
configuration with DSS-14 transmitting and the Green Bank Telescope receiving
was capable of detecting about 195 NEAs, or ~50% more than with monostatic
observations at DSS-14. Most of the detectable asteroids were targets of
opportunity that were discovered less than 15 days before the end of their
observing windows. About 50% of the detectable asteroids have absolute
magnitudes > 25, which corresponds diameters < ~30 m.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, Accepted to A
Creep stability of the proposed AIDA mission target 65803 Didymos: I. Discrete cohesionless granular physics model
As the target of the proposed Asteroid Impact & Deflection Assessment (AIDA)
mission, the near-Earth binary asteroid 65803 Didymos represents a special
class of binary asteroids, those whose primaries are at risk of rotational
disruption. To gain a better understanding of these binary systems and to
support the AIDA mission, this paper investigates the creep stability of the
Didymos primary by representing it as a cohesionless self-gravitating granular
aggregate subject to rotational acceleration. To achieve this goal, a
soft-sphere discrete element model (SSDEM) capable of simulating granular
systems in quasi-static states is implemented and a quasi-static spin-up
procedure is carried out. We devise three critical spin limits for the
simulated aggregates to indicate their critical states triggered by reshaping
and surface shedding, internal structural deformation, and shear failure,
respectively. The failure condition and mode, and shear strength of an
aggregate can all be inferred from the three critical spin limits. The effects
of arrangement and size distribution of constituent particles, bulk density,
spin-up path, and interparticle friction are numerically explored. The results
show that the shear strength of a spinning self-gravitating aggregate depends
strongly on both its internal configuration and material parameters, while its
failure mode and mechanism are mainly affected by its internal configuration.
Additionally, this study provides some constraints on the possible physical
properties of the Didymos primary based on observational data and proposes a
plausible formation mechanism for this binary system. With a bulk density
consistent with observational uncertainty and close to the maximum density
allowed for the asteroid, the Didymos primary in certain configurations can
remain geo-statically stable without including cohesion.Comment: 66 pages, 24 figures, submitted to Icarus on 25/Aug/201
Constraints on the perturbed mutual motion in Didymos due to impact-induced deformation of its primary after the DART impact
Binary near-Earth asteroid (65803) Didymos is the target of the proposed NASA
Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), part of the Asteroid Impact &
Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission concept. In this mission, the DART
spacecraft is planned to impact the secondary body of Didymos, perturbing
mutual dynamics of the system. The primary body is currently rotating at a spin
period close to the spin barrier of asteroids, and materials ejected from the
secondary due to the DART impact are likely to reach the primary. These
conditions may cause the primary to reshape, due to landslides, or internal
deformation, changing the permanent gravity field. Here, we propose that if
shape deformation of the primary occurs, the mutual orbit of the system would
be perturbed due to a change in the gravity field. We use a numerical
simulation technique based on the full two-body problem to investigate the
shape effect on the mutual dynamics in Didymos after the DART impact. The
results show that under constant volume, shape deformation induces strong
perturbation in the mutual motion. We find that the deformation process always
causes the orbital period of the system to become shorter. If surface layers
with a thickness greater than ~0.4 m on the poles of the primary move down to
the equatorial region due to the DART impact, a change in the orbital period of
the system and in the spin period of the primary will be detected by
ground-based measurement.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in MNRA
Observations and Models of the Lunar Sodium Exosphere 1988 - 1999
Sodium in the lunar exosphere is easily observed from the Earth's surface due to its strong resonance emission lines in the visible region of the spectrum. Although sodium is a trace element, it is easily ejected from the surface by a number of processes. The variation of this exospheric constituent both spatially and temporally can help to constrain these sources and the loss processes and their timescales. Due to a revival of interest in the Moon and its volatiles, observations of the lunar exosphere obtained at the McMath-Pierce solar telescope in 1998 and 1999 have recently been reduced and analyzed. In addition, observations of the lunar sodium exosphere obtained with the Mt. Lemmon Lunar Coronagraph on Mt. Lemmon, Arizona, have also been published. We combine these new data with data previously published and reanalyzed by Sarantos et al. This comprehensive data set will be modeled using both a simple Chamberlain exosphere model and a comprehensive Monte Carlo model
Piperine Attenuates Cigarette Smoke-Induced Oxidative Stress, Lung Inflammation, and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition by Modulating the SIRT1/Nrf2 Axis
Piperine (PIP) is a major phytoconstituent in black pepper which is responsible for various pharmacological actions such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor activity. To investigate the effects and mechanisms of PIP on cigarette smoke (CS)-induced lung pathology using both in-vitro and in-vivo models. BEAS-2B and A549 cells were exposed to CS extract (CSE) for 48 h; BALB/c mice were exposed to CS (9 cigarettes/day, 4 days) to induce features of airway disease. PIP at doses of (0.25, 1.25, and 6.25 µM, in vitro; 1 and 10 mg/kg, in vivo, i.n) and DEX (1 µM, in vitro; 1 mg/kg, in vivo, i.n) were used to assess cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), Sirtuin1 (SIRT1), inflammation-related cellular signaling, and lung function. PIP treatment protects cells from CSE-induced lung epithelial cell death. PIP treatment restores the epithelial marker (p \u3c 0.05) and decreases the mesenchymal, inflammatory markers (p \u3c 0.05) in both in vitro and in vivo models. The PIP treatment improves the altered lung function (p \u3c 0.05) in mice induced by CS exposure. Mechanistically, PIP treatment modulates SIRT1 thereby reducing the inflammatory markers such as IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α (p \u3c 0.05) and enhancing the epigenetic marker HDAC2 (p \u3c 0.05) and antioxidant marker Nrf2 (p \u3c 0.05) expressions. Thus, PIP alleviates pulmonary inflammation by modulating the SIRT1-mediated inflammatory cascade, inhibits EMT, and activates Nrf2 signaling
High Precision Measurements of Interstellar Dispersion Measure with the upgraded GMRT
Pulsar radio emission undergoes dispersion due to the presence of free
electrons in the interstellar medium (ISM). The dispersive delay in the arrival
time of pulsar signal changes over time due to the varying ISM electron column
density along the line of sight. Correcting for this delay accurately is
crucial for the detection of nanohertz gravitational waves using Pulsar Timing
Arrays. In this work, we present in-band and inter-band DM estimates of four
pulsars observed with uGMRT over the timescale of a year using two different
template alignment methods. The DMs obtained using both these methods show only
subtle differences for PSR 1713+0747 and J19093744. A considerable offset is
seen in the DM of PSR J1939+2134 and J21450750 between the two methods. This
could be due to the presence of scattering in the former and profile evolution
in the latter. We find that both methods are useful but could have a systematic
offset between the DMs obtained. Irrespective of the template alignment methods
followed, the precision on the DMs obtained is about pc cm
using only BAND3 and pc cm after combining data from BAND3 and
BAND5 of the uGMRT. In a particular result, we have detected a DM excess of
about pc cm on 24 February 2019 for PSR J21450750.
This excess appears to be due to the interaction region created by fast solar
wind from a coronal hole and a coronal mass ejection (CME) observed from the
Sun on that epoch. A detailed analysis of this interesting event is presented.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. Accepted by A&