Formation of Kuiper Belt Binaries and Planetary Satellites

AST 0607335 nesvornydr。Nesvorny继续研究太阳系中天然卫星的起源和演化。他将试图确定卫星的分布如何限制我们目前的行星形成模型。获得这个奖项后，他将专注于两项任务：任务一：经过多年的猜测，在小行星和柯伊伯带天体中都发现了双星系统。最近的观测研究表明，大约10%的大型海王星外天体是双星。这些双星系统不可能由碰撞、潮汐演化和目前柯伊伯带（KB）的动力学效应产生。更有可能的是，这些双柯伊伯带天体是在早期形成的，由于轨道的速度色散较小，而且当时外太阳系可能存在更大的质量，因此物理碰撞和无碰撞引力相互作用更为频繁。内斯沃尼博士将对最近提出的几种柯伊伯带双星形成的情景进行数值模拟，以探索早期存在于海王星外盘的物理条件。最近发现了70多个类木行星的不规则卫星。这些卫星是太阳系中神秘的一部分。与常规卫星不同，不规则卫星在倾斜和偏心的轨道上绕行星运行，距离很远。它们的起源与行星本身的起源密切相关，但尚未得到充分解释。内斯沃尼博士将调查这些不规则卫星是通过引力反应从环绕太阳的星子盘上捕获的可能性。这些反应可能在外行星在小行星盘中迁移的时候经常发生。为了扩大研究项目的影响，Nesvorny博士准备了一项计划，以解决结果的传播，促进科学教学，并加强研究和教育的基础设施。特别是，他将与丹佛自然与科学博物馆（DMNS）合作，加强博物馆项目。DMNS每年吸引超过100万游客，作为丹佛社区领先的教育机构，它是向公众传播内斯沃尼博士研究的自然焦点。＊＊＊

AST 0607335NesvornyDr. Nesvorny continues to study the origin and evolution of natural satellites in the Solar System. He will try to determine how the distribution of satellites constrains our current models of planet formation. With this award he will concentrate on two tasks: Task 1: After years of speculation, binary systems have been discovered among populations of both asteroids and Kuiper Belt objects. Recent observational searches show that about 10 percent of large trans-Neptunian objects are binaries. These binary systems cannot be created by collisions, tidal evolution, and dynamical effects operating in the present Kuiper Belt (KB). It is more likely that these binary KBOs formed in early epochs, when physical collisions and collisionless gravitational interactions were more frequent due to the small velocity dispersion of the orbits and the much larger mass that likely existed in the outer Solar System at that time. Dr. Nesvorny will numerically model several recently suggested scenarios of binary KBO formation to probe the physical conditions that existed in the trans-Neptunian disk during early epochs. Task 2: More than seventy irregular moons of the jovian planets have recently been discovered. These moons are an enigmatic part of the Solar System inventory. Unlike regular satellites, the irregular moons revolve around the planets at large distances in inclined and eccentric orbits. Their origin, which is intimately linked with the origin of the planets themselves, has yet to be adequately explained. Dr. Nesvorny will investigate the possibility that the irregular moons were captured from the circum-solar planetesimal disk by gravitational reactions. These reactions may have been a frequent occurrence during the time when the outer planets migrated in the planetesimal disk. To broaden the impact of the research program, Dr. Nesvorny has prepared a plan to address dissemination of the results, promotion of science teaching, and to enhance the infrastructure for research and education. In particular he will work in collaboration with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS) to enhance the museums programs. The DMNS attracts over 1 million visitors annually, and as a leading educational institution in the Denver community, it is a natural focus for the dissemination of Dr. Nesvornys research to the public. ***