arXiv subjects

Maryame El Moutamid

Publications and source records attributed to Maryame El Moutamid.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Rings beyond the giant planets

Until 2013, only the giant planets were known to host ring systems. In June 2013, a stellar occulation revealed the presence of narrow and dense rings around Chariklo, a small Centaur object that orbits between Saturn and Uranus. Meanwhile, the Cassini spacecraft revealed evidence for the possible past presence of rings around the Saturnian satellites Rhea and Iapetus. Mars and Pluto are expected to have tenuous dusty rings, though they have so far evaded detection. More remotely, transit events observed around a star in 2007 may have revealed for the first time exoplanetary rings around a giant planet orbiting that star. So, evidence is building to show that rings are more common features in the universe than previously thought. Several interesting issues arising from the discovery (or suspicion) of new ring systems are described in this chapter.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2016

Derivation of Capture Probabilities for the Corotation Eccentric Mean Motion Resonances

We study in this paper the capture of a massless particle into an isolated, first order Corotation Eccentric Resonance (CER), in the framework of the Planar, Eccentric and Restricted Three-Body problem near a m+1:m mean motion commensurability (m integer). While capture into Lindblad Eccentric Resonances (where the perturber's orbit is circular) has been investigated years ago, capture into CER (where the perturber's orbit is elliptic) has not yet been investigated in detail. Here, we derive the generic equations of motion near a CER in the general case where both the perturber and the test particle migrate. We derive the probability of capture in that context, and we examine more closely two particular cases: (i) if only the perturber is migrating, capture is possible only if the migration is outward from the primary. Notably, the probability of capture is independent of the way the perturber migrates outward; (ii) if only the test particle is migrating, then capture is possible only if the algebraic value of its migration rate is a decreasing function of orbital radius. In this case, the probability of capture is proportional to the radial gradient of migration. These results differ from the capture into Lindblad Eccentric Resonance (LER), where it is necessary that the orbits of the perturber and the test particle converge for capture to be possible. Possible applications for planetary satellites are discussed.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2015

How Janus' Orbital Swap Affects the Edge of Saturn's A Ring?

We present a study of the behavior of Saturn's A ring outer edge, using images and occultation data obtained by the Cassini spacecraft over a period of 8 years from 2006 to 2014. More than 5000 images and 170 occultations of the A ring outer edge are analyzed. Our fits confirm the expected response to the Janus 7:6 Inner Lindblad resonance (ILR) between 2006 and 2010, when Janus was on the inner leg of its regular orbit swap with Epimetheus. During this period, the edge exhibits a regular 7-lobed pattern with an amplitude of 12.8 km and one minimum aligned with the orbital longitude of Janus, as has been found by previous investigators. However, between 2010 and 2014, the Janus/Epimetheus orbit swap moves the Janus 7:6 LR away from the A ring outer edge, and the 7-lobed pattern disappears. In addition to several smaller-amplitudes modes, indeed, we found a variety of pattern speeds with different azimuthal wave numbers, and many of them may arise from resonant cavities between the ILR and the ring edge; also we found some other signatures consistent with tesseral resonances that could be associated with inhomogeneities in Saturn's gravity field. Moreover, these signatures do not have a fixed pattern speed. We present an analysis of these data and suggest a possible dynamical model for the behavior of the A ring's outer edge after 2010.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2013

Coupling between corotation and Lindblad resonances in the elliptic planar three-body problem

We investigate the dynamics of two satellites with masses $μ_s$ and $μ'_s$ orbiting a massive central planet in a common plane, near a first order mean motion resonance $m$+1:$m$ ($m$ integer). We consider only the resonant terms of first order in eccentricity in the disturbing potential of the satellites, plus the secular terms causing the orbital apsidal precessions. We obtain a two-degree of freedom system, associated with the two critical resonant angles $ϕ= (m+1)λ' -mλ- \varpi$ and $ϕ'= (m+1)λ' -mλ- \varpi'$, where $λ$ and $\varpi$ are the mean longitude and longitude of periapsis of $μ_s$, respectively, and where the primed quantities apply to $μ'_s$. We consider the special case where $μ_s \rightarrow 0$ (restricted problem). The symmetry between the two angles $ϕ$ and $ϕ'$ is then broken, leading to two different kinds of resonances, classically referred to as Corotation Eccentric resonance (CER) and Lindblad Eccentric Resonance (LER), respectively. We write the four reduced equations of motion near the CER and LER, that form what we call the CoraLin model. This model depends upon only two dimensionless parameters that control the dynamics of the system: the distance $D$ between the CER and LER, and a forcing parameter $ε_L$ that includes both the mass and the orbital eccentricity of the disturbing satellite. Three regimes are found: for $D=0$ the system is integrable, for $D$ of order unity, it exhibits prominent chaotic regions, while for $D$ large compared to 2, the behavior of the system is regular and can be qualitatively described using simple adiabatic invariant arguments. We apply this model to three recently discovered small Saturnian satellites dynamically linked to Mimas through first order mean motion resonances : Aegaeon, Methone and Anthe.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2012

Influence of the coorbital resonance on the rotation of the Trojan satellites of Saturn

The Cassini spacecraft collects high resolution images of the saturnian satellites and reveals the surface of these new worlds. The shape and rotation of the satellites can be determined from the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem data, employing limb coordinates and stereogrammetric control points. This is the case for Epimetheus (Tiscareno et al. 2009) that opens elaboration of new rotational models (Tiscareno et al. 2009; Noyelles 2010; Robutel et al. 2011). Especially, Epimetheus is characterized by its horseshoe shape orbit and the presence of the swap is essential to introduce explicitly into rotational models. During its journey in the saturnian system, Cassini spacecraft accumulates the observational data of the other satellites and it will be possible to determine the rotational parameters of several of them. To prepare these future observations, we built rotational models of the coorbital (also called Trojan) satellites Telesto, Calypso, Helene, and Polydeuces, in addition to Janus and Epimetheus. Indeed, Telesto and Calypso orbit around the L_4 and L_5 Lagrange points of Saturn-Tethys while Helene and Polydeuces are coorbital of Dione. The goal of this study is to understand how the departure from the Keplerian motion induced by the perturbations of the coorbital body, influences the rotation of these satellites. To this aim, we introduce explicitly the perturbation in the rotational equations by using the formalism developed by Erdi (1977) to represent the coorbital motions, and so we describe the rotational motion of the coorbitals, Janus and Epimetheus included, in compact form.

astro-ph.EP↗