Formation of Kuiper Belt Binaries and Planetary Satellites

AST 0607335NesvornyDr. Nesvorny继续研究太阳系中天然卫星的起源和演变。 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。 有了这个奖项，他将专注于两个任务：任务1：经过多年的猜测，在小行星和柯伊伯带天体中发现了双星系统。 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是由碰撞、潮汐演化和动力学效应在现在的柯伊伯带（KB）中产生的。 更有可能的是，这些双星KBO形成于早期，当时由于轨道的速度色散小，并且当时太阳系外可能存在更大的质量，物理碰撞和无碰撞的引力相互作用更加频繁。 Nesvorny博士将对最近提出的几种KBO双星形成的情况进行数值模拟，以探测早期海王星盘中存在的物理条件。 任务2：最近发现了70多颗木星的不规则卫星。 这些卫星是太阳系清单中神秘的一部分。 与规则卫星不同，不规则卫星在倾斜和偏心的轨道上绕着行星旋转。 它们的起源与行星本身的起源密切相关，尚未得到充分的解释。 Nesvorny博士将研究这些不规则卫星是通过引力反应从环太阳小行星盘捕获的可能性。 这些反应可能在外行星在星子盘中迁移的时候经常发生。 为了扩大研究计划的影响，Nesvorny博士制定了一项计划，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，以加强博物馆的计划。 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Nesvornys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. ***