A new way to estimate the distribution of encounter velocity among the asteroids

Abstract The statistics of asteroid mutual encounters has been studied by several authors, mainly with the purpose of estimating collisional rates (and thus mean collisional lifetimes) and the distribution of encounter velocities. A new approach to this problem, very simple and fast in terms of computer time is presented. Not-withstanding these properties, and in spite of its heuristic nature, the method proved to give results similar to those obtained by means of more sophisticated and time-consuming techniques. Moreover, the method is particularly suitable for undertaking more detailed analyses, including the distribution of impact directions for a given target, and an evaluation of the quantitative relevance of a number of possible effects, not taken into account in previous studies.

[1]  ASTEROID COLLISIONAL EVOLUTION - AN INTEGRATED MODEL FOR THE EVOLUTION OF ASTEROID ROTATION RATES , 1992 .

[2]  R. Binzel,et al.  951 gaspra: A pre‐Galileo estimate of its surface evolution , 1991 .

[3]  A. McEwen,et al.  First Images of Asteroid 243 Ida , 1994, Science.

[4]  D. Davis,et al.  Collisional history of asteroids: Evidence from Vesta and the Hirayama families , 1985 .

[5]  Richard Greenberg.  Orbital interactions - A new geometrical formalism , 1982 .

[6]  Alberto Cellino,et al.  Reconstructing the Original Ejection Velocity Fields of Asteroid Families , 1996 .

[7]  M. Nolan,et al.  Velocity Distributions among Colliding Asteroids , 1994 .

[8]  P. Farinella,et al.  Wavy size distributions for collisional systems with a small-size cutoff , 1994 .

[9]  Richard P. Binzel,et al.  Asteroid collisional history - Effects on sizes and spins , 1989 .

[10]  Andrea Milani,et al.  The Dynamics of the Trojan Asteroids , 1994 .

[11]  Alberto Cellino,et al.  Asteroids, Comets, Meteors 1993 , 1994 .

[12]  A. Verlicchi,et al.  An Improved Semi-Empirical Model of Catastrophic Impact Processes I-Theory and Laboratory Experiments , 1996 .

[13]  P. Farinella,et al.  The asteroids as outcomes of catastrophic collisions , 1982 .

[14]  P. Farinella,et al.  Collisional origin of the asteroid families: Mass and velocity distributions , 1984 .

[15]  J. Head,et al.  Collisional and Dynamical History of Ida , 1996 .

[16]  W. Bottke,et al.  Asteroidal collision probabilities , 1993 .

[17]  G. W. Wetherill,et al.  Collisions in the asteroid belt , 1967 .

[18]  P. Farinella,et al.  Collision rates and impact velocities in the Main Asteroid Belt , 1992 .