Mathematics – Dynamical Systems
Scientific paper
Nov 2001
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001dps....33.3107s&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS Meeting #33, #31.07; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 33, p.1094
Mathematics
Dynamical Systems
Scientific paper
The rotational dynamics of outgassing cometary nuclei are investigated analytically using dynamical systems theory. We develop a general theory for the averaged evolution of a comet nucleus rotation state assuming that the nucleus is a spheroid (either prolate or oblate) and that the outgassing torques are a function of solar insolation and heliocentric distance. The resulting solutions are a function of the comet outgassing properties, its heliocentric orbit, and the assumed distribution of active regions on its surface. We find that the long-term evolution of the comet nucleus rotation is a strong function of the distribution of active regions over its surface. Specifically, we find that a comet nucleus with a uniformly active surface will tend towards a rotation state with a nutation angle of ~ 55 degrees and an angular momentum perpendicular to the sun-perihelion direction. Conversely, a comet nucleus with an isolated active region will tend towards a zero nutation angle with its symmetry axis and angular momentum aligned parallel to the sun-perihelion direction. For active surface regions between these extremes we find 4 qualitatively different dynamical outcomes. In all cases, the theory predicts that the comet nucleus angular momentum will have a secular increase, a phenomenon that could contribute to nucleus splitting of active comets. These results can be used to discriminate between competing theories of comet outgassing based on a nucelus' rotation state. They also allow for a range of plausible a priori constraints to be placed on a comet's rotation state to aid in the interpretation of its outgassing structure. This work was supported by the NASA JURRISS program under Grant NAG5-8715. AIN, AAV and VVS acknowledge support from Russian Foundation for Basic research via Grants 00-01-00538 and 00-01-0174 respectively. DJS acknowledges support from the PG&G program via Grant NAG5-9017.
Neishtadt A. I.
Scheeres Daniel J.
Sidorenko Vladimir
Vasiliev Aleksey A.
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