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arXiv 1602.01769astro-ph.EP
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关于Chariklo环的质量和起源

On the mass and origin of Chariklo's rings

Margaret Pan, Yanqin Wu

摘要:

2013年和2014年对半人马座10199 Chariklo及其环系统的观测一致表明,内部更大质量的环的径向宽度随经度而变化。这有力地表明,尽管Chariklo的大四极矩应该引起快速的微分进动,但这个环具有有限的偏心率。如果像天王星环那样,环的自引力维持了拱点的排列,我们估计环的质量是10^16 g的几倍,典型的颗粒大小为几米。这意味着碰撞扩展时间很短,约为10^5年,比半人马座几百万年的典型动力学寿命稍短,比太阳系的年龄短得多。鉴于这一时间限制,我们评估以前提出的环形成途径,包括碰撞弹射和卫星中断。我们还详细研究了一种形成机制,即在Chariklo被巨行星向内散射后,通过升华的CO和/或N_2的流出,将Chariklo表面的尘埃颗粒送入轨道。后一种情况预测环应该在100公里级的半人马座中很常见,但在柯伊伯带天体和较小的半人马座中很少见。它还预测,半人马座应该显示出彗星活动的季节性变化,活动最大值发生在春分后不久。

英文摘要:

Observations in 2013 and 2014 of the Centaur 10199 Chariklo and its ring system consistently indicated that the radial width of the inner, more massive ring varies with longitude. That strongly suggests that this ring has a finite eccentricity despite the fast differential precession that Chariklo's large quadrupole moment should induce. If the inferred apse alignment is maintained by the ring's self-gravity, as it is for the Uranian rings, we estimate a ring mass of a few times 10^16 g and a typical particle size of a few meters. These imply a short collisional spreading time of ~10^5 years, somewhat shorter than the typical Centaur dynamical lifetime of a few Myrs and much shorter than the age of the solar system. In light of this time constraint, we evaluate previously suggested ring formation pathways including collisional ejection and satellite disruption. We also investigate in detail a contrasting formation mechanism, the lofting of dust particles off Chariklo's surface into orbit via outflows of sublimating CO and/or N_2 triggered after Chariklo was scattered inward by giant planets. This latter scenario predicts that rings should be common among 100-km class Centaurs but rare among Kuiper belt objects and smaller Centaurs. It also predicts that Centaurs should show seasonal variations in cometary activity with activity maxima occurring shortly after equinox.

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