Rigid Body Rotation in Gravitational N-Body Simulations and the Obliquity of Uranus

Details Rigid Body Rotation in Gravitational N-Body Simulations and the Obliquity of Uranus Rigid Body Rotation in Gravitational N-Body Simulations and the Obliquity of Uranus

Apr 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001aps..oss.f2003a&link_type=abstract

American Physical Society, Ohio Section Spring Meeting, April 20-21, 2001 Kent State University Kent, Ohio Bulletin of the Ameri

Physics

Scientific paper

One of the major outstanding questions of planetary origins is the question of how the ice giants, Uranus and Neptune, formed. At their present locations, there has been insufficient time for such large planets to form. Recent work has demonstrated the possibility that these planets may have originated closer to the Sun and were then scattered to their present orbits by multiple gravitational interactions with the newly formed gas giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn. In this scenario, the orbits of the ejected ice giants are circularized through dynamical friction with a primordial Kuiper belt. We present the results of gravitational N-body calculations that confirm this idea, and we examine the possibility that the curious obliquity of Uranus may result from such an ejection. We have modified our N-body code to include rigid body rotation, and we treat the ice giants as oblate spheroids which are subject to torques from the spherical gravitational fields of Jupiter and Saturn. We present the results of preliminary calculations to determine if the obliquity of Uranus could have been caused by close encounters with Jupiter and Saturn during this ejection process.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Rigid Body Rotation in Gravitational N-Body Simulations and the Obliquity of Uranus 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 Rigid Body Rotation in Gravitational N-Body Simulations and the Obliquity of Uranus, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Rigid Body Rotation in Gravitational N-Body Simulations and the Obliquity of Uranus will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1184248