| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Total Authors: 3
|
| Affiliation: | [1] Univ Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Grp Dinam Orbital & Planetol, BR-12516410 Guaratingueta, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Namur, Dept Math, Namur Ctr Complex Syst, NAXYS, B-5000 Namur - Belgium
[3] Univ Paris 06, F-75005 Paris - France
Total Affiliations: 3
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL; v. 792, n. 1 SEP 1 2014. |
| Web of Science Citations: | 11 |
| Abstract | |
The asteroid (31) Euphrosyne is the largest body of its namesake family, and it contains more than 99% of the family mass. Among large asteroid families, the Euphrosyne group is peculiar because of its quite steep size-frequency distribution (SFD), significantly depleted in large-and medium-sized asteroids (8 < D < 12 km). The current steep SFD of the Euphrosyne family has been suggested to be the result of a grazing impact in which only the farthest, smallest members failed to accrete. The Euphrosyne family is, however, also very peculiar because of its dynamics: near its center it is crossed by the nu(6) = g - g(6) linear secular resonance, and it hosts the largest population (140 bodies) of asteroids in nu(6) antialigned librating states (or Tina-like asteroids) in the main belt. In this work we investigated the orbital evolution of newly obtained members of the dynamical family, with an emphasis on its interaction with the nu(6) resonance. Because of its unique resonant configuration, large-and medium-sized asteroids tend to migrate away from the family orbital region faster than small-sized objects, which were ejected farther away from the family center. As a consequence, the SFD of the Euphrosyne family becomes steeper in time with a growing depletion in the number of the largest family members. We estimate that the current SFD could be attained from a typical, initial SFD on timescales of 500 Myr, consistent with estimates of the family age obtained with other independent methods. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 13/15357-1 - Long-term effect of the masses (and their uncertainties) of large asteroids on the orbital evolution of terrestrial planetes and minor bodies. |
| Grantee: | Safwan ALJBAAE |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral |
| FAPESP's process: | 14/06762-2 - Secular families |
| Grantee: | Valerio Carruba |
| Support Opportunities: | Regular Research Grants |
| FAPESP's process: | 11/19863-3 - Orbital mobility caused by close encounters with more than one massive asteroid |
| Grantee: | Valerio Carruba |
| Support Opportunities: | Regular Research Grants |