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The Formation of Bilobate Comet Shapes through Sublimative Torques | | Taylor K. Safrit
; Jordan K. Steckloff
; Amanda S. Bosh
; David Nesvorny
; Kevin Walsh
; Ramon Brasser
; David A. Minton
; | | Date: |
3 Nov 2020 | | Abstract: | Recent spacecraft and radar observations have found that ~70 percent of
short-period comet nuclei, mostly Jupiter-family comets (JFCs), have bilobate
shapes (two masses connected by a narrow neck). This is in stark contrast to
the shapes of asteroids of similar sizes, of which ~14% are bilobate. This
suggests that a process or mechanism unique to comets is producing these
shapes. Here we show that the bilobate shapes of JFC nuclei are a natural
byproduct of sublimative activity during their dynamical migration from their
trans-Neptunian reservoir, through the Centaur population, and into the Jupiter
family. We model the torques resulting from volatile sublimation during this
dynamical migration and find that they tend to spin up these nuclei to
disruption. Once disrupted, the rubble pile-like material properties of comet
nuclei (tensile strengths of ~1-10 Pa and internal friction angles of
~35$^circ$) cause them to reform as bilobate objects. We find that JFCs likely
experienced rotational disruption events prior to entering the Jupiter family,
which could explain the prevalence of bilobate shapes. These results suggest
that the bilobate shapes of observed comets developed recently in their history
(within the past ~1-10 Myr), rather than during solar system formation or
collisions during planet migration and residency in the trans-Neptunian
population. | | Source: | arXiv, 2011.01394 | | Services: | Forum | Review | PDF | Favorites | |
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