Summary: DIFFUSION OF ASTEROIDS IN MEAN MOTION RESONANCES
KLEOMENIS TSIGANIS and HARRY VARVOGLIS
Section of Astrophysics, Astronomy and Mechanics, Department of Physics,
University of Thessaloniki, 540 06 Thessaloniki, GREECE
ANASTASIOS ANASTASIADIS
Institute for Space Applications and Remote Sensing,
National Observatory of Athens, 152 36 P. Penteli, GREECE
Abstract. We study transport in the action space of the planar elliptic restricted three­body problem,
for values of the semi­major axis, a, corresponding to the outer asteroid belt (3:45AU  a  3:90AU).
Numerical estimates of the local diffusion coefficient, D, are made and the results are presented in
the form of `diffusion maps'. For resonances of order q  5 the functional dependence of D on the
free eccentricity, e f , is also studied.
1. Introduction
If an asteroid is located in a mean motion resonance with Jupiter, its orbital ele­
ments, especially the eccentricity, e, can be transported to Jupiter­crossing values
due to chaotic motion. For resonances closer to Jupiter, such as those placed in
the outer asteroid belt (defined here by 3:45AU  a  3:90AU), a large fraction
of orbits is expected to be chaotic while, at the same time, the eccentricity value
needed to cross the orbit of Jupiter is small (e  0:3). In the absence of mechanisms
which can provide `shortcuts' to high values of e (such as resonant periodic orbits;

Source: Anastasiadis, Anastasios - Institute for Space Applications and Remote Sensing, National Observatory of Athens

Collections: Physics