Transit of asteroids across the 7/3 Kirkwood gap under the Yarkovsky effect

Abstract

Yarkovsky effect plays an important role in asteroids drifting in the inner Solar System. In the main belt, many asteroids are continuously pushed by Yarkovsky effect into regions of different mean motion resonances (MMRs) and then ejected after a period of time due to the instability of MMRs. They are considered as the principal source of near-Earth objects. We investigate in this paper by numerical simulations the effects of the 7/3 MMR with Jupiter (J7/3 MMR) on the transportation of asteroids from Koronis family and Eos family that reside respectively on the inner and outer side of the resonance. The J7/3 MMR acts like a selective barrier to migrating asteroids. The fraction of asteroids that make successful crossing through the resonance and the escaping rate from the resonance are found to depend on the Yarkovsky drifting rate, the initial inclination and the migrating direction. The excitation of eccentricity and inclination due to the combined influence from both the resonance and Yarkovsky effect is discussed. Only the eccentricity can be pumped up considerably, and it is attributed mainly to the resonance. In the observational data, family members are also found in the resonance and on the opposite side of the resonance with respect to the corresponding family centre. The existence of these family members is explained using our results of numerical simulations. Finally, the replenishment of asteroids in the J7/3 MMR and the transportation of asteroids by it are discussed.

Dynamical evolution of asteroid pairs in the vicinity of resonances

“…Важным фактором является близость орбиты рассматриваемого объекта к области резонансов средних движений с планетами (в первую очередь Юпитером и Сатурном). Эволюция орбиты астероида попавшего в резонансную зону, в общем случае носит хаотичный характер, поэтому изучение различных сценариев изменения орбит подобных объектов представляет особый интерес [1].…”