Chaotic diffusion of asteroids in the exterior 1:2 mean motion resonance with Mars
Apostolos A Christou et al. (2022)
- Published
- Aug 6, 2022
- Journal
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society · Vol. 516 · No. 1
- DOI
- 10.1093/mnras/stac2221
At a GlanceAI
Systematic study shows Mars’ exterior 1:2 MMR boosts dispersion yet can shield high-e asteroids from Mars scattering.
SummaryAI
The work examines whether chaotic dynamics near Mars’ exterior 1:2 mean-motion resonance can drive large inner-belt asteroids to the eccentricities needed to escape the belt. It finds chaos increases the spread (dispersion) of eccentricity and inclination for both resonant and non-resonant orbits, but does not significantly shift their mean values. Resonant orbits show the strongest dispersive growth, yet at high eccentricity the resonance can reduce Mars scattering, lengthening asteroid lifetimes compared to similar non-resonant cases. Overall, the eccentricity changes required by observations cannot be produced by gravity alone, pointing to the need for additional non-gravitational effects and clarifying the protective role of resonant trapping.
Method SnapshotAI
Systematic dynamical analysis of chaotic diffusion for resonant and nearby non-resonant asteroid orbits around the Mars 1:2 MMR.
BackgroundAI
Celestial mechanics of mean-motion resonances, secular dynamics, and asteroid-belt transport/escape processes.