Size Distributions of Satellite Dust Ejecta: Effects of Radiation Pressure and Planetary Oblateness

✍ Scribed by Robin M. Canup; Joshua E. Colwell; Mihaly Horanyi

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 419 KB
• Volume: 105
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0019-1035
• DOI: 10.1006/icar.1993.1133

✦ Synopsis

We examine the steady-state size distribution of dust ejecta in the vicinity of a satellite which acts as both a source and a sink for dust particles. The orbital motion of the dust particles is modified by radiation pressure and planetary oblateness which together produce periodic eccentricity perturbations. Our numerical simulations show that these perturbations can lead to a steepening of the steady-state power-law size distribution such that the index increases by 1 from the index of the source distribution in a specific size regime. This regime is determined by the perturbation strength, and the size and orbital radius of the satellite. The steadystate size distribution is reached in 10-20 years for the conditions considered here. In general, the perturbations discussed here affect dust particle orbits on shorter time scales than Poynting-Robertson, exospheric, or plasma drag forces. O 1993 Academic Press, inc.