Orbital and Rotational Resonances in Systems of Natural Satellites and Planetary Systems

• Grant number: 25/02325-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy - Solar System Astronomy
• Principal Investigator: Nelson Callegari Júnior
• Grantee: Nelson Callegari Júnior
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas (IGCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Over the past forty years, space probes and telescopes, as well as large ground-based telescopes, have been responsible for discovering numerous new natural satellites and for providing a wealth of astronomical data with precise observations of the satellites already known, thus revolutionizing the ephemerides of these bodies. It is well known that the current orbital and rotational configurations of the natural satellite systems of the solar system (and of planetary systems in general) are not primordial but are the result of complex dynamical evolutions. In general, their current states are characterized by dynamic equilibrium situations called orbital and rotational resonances, which can have a profound impact on several aspects such as the orbital stability and planetology (e.g. surface and internal structure) of small bodies and planets. This project aims to study the current resonant configurations, and their respective temporal evolutions, of several satellites of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune; in particular, the recently discovered small satellites will be investigated. Accurate numerical simulations with robust physical models and analyses of the simulations (and data) with modern nonlinear dynamics techniques will be performed, contributing to a detailed mapping of the resonant structures and equilibrium situations of small bodies and some planetary systems. The physical implications of orbital and rotational resonant states will also be investigated. (AU)