Orbital dynamics of inner satellites of Neptune and Jupiter

• Grant number: 25/12459-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy - Solar System Astronomy
• Principal Investigator: Nelson Callegari Júnior
• Grantee: Ana Júlia Mendes Pereira dos Santos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas (IGCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 25/02325-1 - Orbital and Rotational Resonances in Systems of Natural Satellites and Planetary Systems, AP.R

Abstract

The study of the orbital dynamics of natural satellites provides important information about the evolution of these systems and their gravitational interactions. Small inner satellites of gas giants, such as Jupiter and Neptune, present interesting characteristics due to the combined influence of the gravity of the host planet and the perturbations generated by other bodies in the system. Furthermore, the presence of orbital resonances plays an essential role in the stability and evolution of these orbits over time, and studying them is important because it allows a better understanding of their stable and unstable regimes. The present project aims to investigate in detail the orbital resonances between small inner satellites of Neptune and Jupiter, applying techniques recently developed for the Saturn system (Callegari and Yokoyama 2020, Callegari et al. 2021, Callegari and Rodríguez 2023). The project will include a BEPE exchange to Germany, where there will be collaboration with the JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) mission group, aiming to deepen the study of the orbital dynamics of Jupiter's inner moons.