Semimajor-axis Jumps as the Activity Trigger in Centaurs and High-perihelion Jupiter-family Comets
We present a dynamical study of 39 active Centaurs and 17 high-perihelion ( q > 4.5 au) Jupiter-family comets (JFCs) with a focus on investigating recent orbital changes as potential triggers for comet-like activity. We have identified a common feature in the recent dynamical histories of all act...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad1606 |
| _version_ | 1797364739933732864 |
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| author | Eva Lilly Peter Jevčák Charles Schambeau Kat Volk Jordan Steckloff Henry Hsieh Yanga R. Fernandez James Bauer Robert Weryk Richard J. Wainscoat |
| author_facet | Eva Lilly Peter Jevčák Charles Schambeau Kat Volk Jordan Steckloff Henry Hsieh Yanga R. Fernandez James Bauer Robert Weryk Richard J. Wainscoat |
| author_sort | Eva Lilly |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We present a dynamical study of 39 active Centaurs and 17 high-perihelion ( q > 4.5 au) Jupiter-family comets (JFCs) with a focus on investigating recent orbital changes as potential triggers for comet-like activity. We have identified a common feature in the recent dynamical histories of all active Centaurs and JFCs in our sample that is not present in the history of the majority of inactive population members: a sharp decrease in semimajor axis and eccentricity occurring within the past several hundred years prior to observed activity. We define these rapid orbital changes as “ a -jumps.” Our results indicate that these orbital reshaping events lead to shorter orbital periods and subsequently greater average per-orbit heating of Centaur nuclei. We suggest that the a -jumps could therefore be a major trigger of cometary activity on Centaurs and JFCs. Our results further imply that analyses of the recent dynamical histories could be used to identify objects that are currently active or may become active soon, where we have identified three such Centaurs with recent a -jumps that should be considered high-priority targets for observational monitoring to search for activity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T16:39:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b28002d42bb24da89b8a9cca11cefc2c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-8205 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T16:39:26Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-b28002d42bb24da89b8a9cca11cefc2c2024-01-05T11:05:30ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Letters2041-82052024-01-019602L810.3847/2041-8213/ad1606Semimajor-axis Jumps as the Activity Trigger in Centaurs and High-perihelion Jupiter-family CometsEva Lilly0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7696-0302Peter Jevčák1https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9267-4661Charles Schambeau2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1800-8521Kat Volk3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8736-236XJordan Steckloff4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1717-2226Henry Hsieh5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7225-9271Yanga R. Fernandez6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1156-9721James Bauer7https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9542-0953Robert Weryk8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0439-9341Richard J. Wainscoat9https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1341-0952Planetary Science Institute, 1700 E. Fort Lowell, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719-2395, USA ; elilly@psi.eduComenius University, Mlynská dolina , 842 48 Bratislava, SlovakiaUniversity of Central Florida , 4000 Central Florida Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32816, USAPlanetary Science Institute, 1700 E. Fort Lowell, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719-2395, USA ; elilly@psi.eduPlanetary Science Institute, 1700 E. Fort Lowell, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719-2395, USA ; elilly@psi.eduPlanetary Science Institute, 1700 E. Fort Lowell, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719-2395, USA ; elilly@psi.edu; Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics , Academia Sinica, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei 10617, TaiwanDepartment of Physics, University of Central Florida , 4111 Libra Drive, Physical Sciences Building 430, Orlando, FL 32816-2385, USA; Florida Space Institute, University of Central Florida , 12354 Research Parkway, Partnership 1, Orlando, FL 32826, USAUniversity of Maryland , College Park, MD 20742-2421, USAUniversity of Western Ontario , 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON N6A 3K7, CanadaUniversity of Hawaii , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USAWe present a dynamical study of 39 active Centaurs and 17 high-perihelion ( q > 4.5 au) Jupiter-family comets (JFCs) with a focus on investigating recent orbital changes as potential triggers for comet-like activity. We have identified a common feature in the recent dynamical histories of all active Centaurs and JFCs in our sample that is not present in the history of the majority of inactive population members: a sharp decrease in semimajor axis and eccentricity occurring within the past several hundred years prior to observed activity. We define these rapid orbital changes as “ a -jumps.” Our results indicate that these orbital reshaping events lead to shorter orbital periods and subsequently greater average per-orbit heating of Centaur nuclei. We suggest that the a -jumps could therefore be a major trigger of cometary activity on Centaurs and JFCs. Our results further imply that analyses of the recent dynamical histories could be used to identify objects that are currently active or may become active soon, where we have identified three such Centaurs with recent a -jumps that should be considered high-priority targets for observational monitoring to search for activity.https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad1606Centaur groupComets |
| spellingShingle | Eva Lilly Peter Jevčák Charles Schambeau Kat Volk Jordan Steckloff Henry Hsieh Yanga R. Fernandez James Bauer Robert Weryk Richard J. Wainscoat Semimajor-axis Jumps as the Activity Trigger in Centaurs and High-perihelion Jupiter-family Comets The Astrophysical Journal Letters Centaur group Comets |
| title | Semimajor-axis Jumps as the Activity Trigger in Centaurs and High-perihelion Jupiter-family Comets |
| title_full | Semimajor-axis Jumps as the Activity Trigger in Centaurs and High-perihelion Jupiter-family Comets |
| title_fullStr | Semimajor-axis Jumps as the Activity Trigger in Centaurs and High-perihelion Jupiter-family Comets |
| title_full_unstemmed | Semimajor-axis Jumps as the Activity Trigger in Centaurs and High-perihelion Jupiter-family Comets |
| title_short | Semimajor-axis Jumps as the Activity Trigger in Centaurs and High-perihelion Jupiter-family Comets |
| title_sort | semimajor axis jumps as the activity trigger in centaurs and high perihelion jupiter family comets |
| topic | Centaur group Comets |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad1606 |
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