Astronomy6 papers
The Yarkovsky effect
IŽ
Ivana Milić Žitnik
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intermediate
The relationship between the `limiting' Yarkovsky drift speed and asteroid families' Yarkovsky V-shape
I. Milic-Zitnik (2020)
- Published
- Jan 1, 2020
- Journal
- Serbian Astronomical Journal · No. 200
- DOI
- 10.2298/SAJ2000025M
At a Glance
Links a “limiting” Yarkovsky drift rate to slope breaks in old asteroid-family V-shapes near strong mean-motion resonances.
Summary
This paper proposes that a previously defined threshold (“limiting”) Yarkovsky semimajor-axis drift rate (~7×10−5 au/Myr) leaves an observable imprint on asteroid-family V-shapes. Using a standard Yarkovsky scaling relation (calibrated to Bennu), it converts that limiting drift rate into family-specific “limiting diameters” and compares them to V-shape borders for 11 main-belt families. For very old families with relatively strong mean-motion resonances close to the parent body, the observed V-shape border changes slope near 1/D equal to the inverse limiting diameter, suggesting two dynamical regimes for resonance crossing; younger families or those lacking nearby strong resonances do not show this breakpoint. If robust, the result adds a resonance-dependent bias to how V-shapes are interpreted and could affect family-age inferences in resonance-rich regions.
Method Snapshot
Compute family-dependent limiting diameters from a Yarkovsky drift scaling law and compare them to observed V-shape border morphology across resonant and non-resonant families.
Background
Background in asteroid-family identification and evolution, Yarkovsky/YORP thermal forces, and mean-motion resonances in celestial mechanics.