Catastrophic Disruption of Asteroids: First Simulations with Explicit Formation of Spinning Rigid and Semi-rigid Aggregates

Details Catastrophic Disruption of Asteroids: First Simulations with Explicit Formation of Spinning Rigid and Semi-rigid Aggregates Catastrophic Disruption of Asteroids: First Simulations with Explicit Formation of Spinning Rigid and Semi-rigid Aggregates

Oct 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007dps....39.3010m&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #39, #30.10; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.470

Other

Scientific paper

We have made major improvements in simulations of asteroid disruption by computing explicitly aggregate formations during the gravitational reaccumulation of small fragments, allowing us to obtain information on their spin and shape. First results will be presented taking as examples asteroid families that we reproduced successfully with previous less sophisticated simulations.
In the last years, we have simulated successfully the formation of asteroid families using a SPH hydrocode to compute the fragmentation following the impact of a projectile on the parent body, and the N-body code pkdgrav to compute the mutual interactions of the fragments. We found that fragments generated by the disruption of a km-size asteroid can have large enough masses to be attracted by each other during their ejection. Consequently, many reaccumulations take place. Eventually most large fragments correspond to gravitational aggregates formed by reaccumulation of smaller ones. Moreover, formation of satellites occurs around the largest and other big remnants.
In these previous simulations, when fragments reaccumulate, they merge into a single sphere whose mass is the sum of their masses. Thus, no information is obtained on the actual shape of the aggregates, their spin, ... For the first time, we have now simulated the disruption of a family parent body by computing explicitly the formation of aggregates, along with the above-mentioned properties. Once formed these aggregates can interact and/or collide with each other and break up during their evolution. We will present these first simulations and their possible implications on properties of asteroids generated by disruption. Results can for instance be compared with data provided by the Japanese space mission Hayabusa of the asteroid Itokawa, a body now understood to be a reaccumulated fragment from a larger parent body.
Acknowledgments: PM and DCR acknowledge supports from the French Programme National de Planétologie and grants NSF AST0307549&AST0708110.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Catastrophic Disruption of Asteroids: First Simulations with Explicit Formation of Spinning Rigid and Semi-rigid Aggregates does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Catastrophic Disruption of Asteroids: First Simulations with Explicit Formation of Spinning Rigid and Semi-rigid Aggregates, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Catastrophic Disruption of Asteroids: First Simulations with Explicit Formation of Spinning Rigid and Semi-rigid Aggregates will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1065949