Rossi A., Jacobson S., Marzari F., Scheeres D. J. Asteroid fission, binaries and the small main belt population. In: EPSC-DPS 2011 - European Planetary Science Congress (Nantes, Francia, 2 - 7 October 2011). Abstract, pp. 499 - 500. Copernicus Publications, 2011. |
Abstract (English) |
Using a Monte Carlo method we model the spin evolution of small Main Belt asteroids under the joint effects of YORP and collisions. Our simulations allow us to estimate the fraction of asteroids undergoing rotational fission in different size ranges. When an asteroid reaches its disruption spin limit we determine the outcome of its subsequent evolution based on accumulated statistics on their evolution based on numerical integrations (i.e., binary or ternary formation, binary disruption, etc..). Our aim is to predict the percentage of binary asteroids and their properties in the Belt, the number of objects like P/2010 A2 per year and the effects of YORP-induced fission on the overall asteroid size distribution at the small size end. | |
URL: | http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2011/EPSC-DPS2011-499.pdf | |
Subject | Asteroids Rotation YORP effect Binary asteroids J.2 PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING 70M20 Orbital mechanics |
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