No Arabic abstract
We aim to locate the stability region for Uranus Trojans (UT hereafter) and find out the dynamical mechanisms responsible for the structures in the phase space. Using the spectral number as the stability indicator, we construct the dynamical maps on the (a0, i0) plane. The proper frequencies of UTs are determined precisely so that we can depict the resonance web via a semi-analytical method. Two main stability regions are found, one each for the low-inclination (0-14deg) and high-inclination regime (32-59deg). There is also an instability strip in each of them, at 9deg and 51deg respectively. All stability regions are in the tadpole regime and no stable horseshoe orbits exist for UTs. The lack of moderate-inclined UTs is caused by the nu5 and nu7 secular resonances. The fine structures in the dynamical maps are shaped by high-degree secular resonances and secondary resonances. During the planetary migration, about 36.3% and 0.4% of the pre-formed orbits survive the fast and slow migrations (with migrating time scales of 1 and 10Myr) respectively, most of which are in high inclination. Since the low-inclined UTs are more likely to survive the age of the solar system, they make up 77% of all such long-life orbits by the end of the migration, making a total fraction up to 4.06E-3 and 9.07E-5 of the original population for the fast and slow migrations, respectively. About 3.81% UTs are able to survive the age of the solar system, among which 95.5% are on low-inclined orbits with i0<7.5deg. However, the depletion of the planetary migration seems to prevent a large fraction of such orbits, especially for the slow migration model.
Near-infrared adaptive optics imaging of Uranus by the Keck 2 telescope during 2003 and 2004 has revealed numerous discrete cloud features, 70 of which were used to extend the zonal wind profile of Uranus up to 60deg N. We confirmed the presence of a north-south asymmetry in the circulation (Karkoschka, Science 111, 570-572, 1998), and improved its characterization. We found no clear indication of long term change in wind speed between 1986 and 2004, although results of Hammel et al. (2001, Icarus 153, 229-235) based on 2001 HST and Keck observations average ~10 m/s less westward than earlier and later results, and 2003 observations by Hammel et al. (2005, Icarus 175, 534-545) show increased wind speeds near 45deg N, which we dont see in our 2003-2004 observations. We observed a wide range of lifetimes for discrete cloud features: some features evolve within ~1 hour, many have persisted at least one month, and one feature near 34deg S (termed S34) seems to have persisted for nearly two decades, a conclusion derived with the help of Voyager 2 and HST observations. S34 oscillates in latitude between 32deg S and 36.5deg S, with a period of $sim$1000 days, which may be a result of a non-barotropic Rossby wave. It also varied its longitudinal drift rate between -20deg /day and -31deg /day in approximate accord with the latitudinal gradient in the zonal wind profile, exhibiting behavior similar to that of the DS2 feature observed on Neptune (Sromovsky et al., Icarus 105, 110-141, 1993). S34 also exhibits a superimposed rapid oscillation with an amplitude of 0.57deg in latitude and period of 0.7 days, which is approximately consistent with an inertial oscillation.
In a previous paper, we have presented a global view of the stability of Neptune Trojan (NT hereafter) on inclined orbit. We discuss in this paper the dependence of stability of NT orbits on the eccentricity. High-resolution dynamical maps are constructed using the results of extensive numerical integrations of orbits initialized on the fine grids of initial semimajor axis (a0) versus eccentricity (e0). The extensions of regions of stable orbits on the (a0, e0) plane at different inclinations are shown. The maximum eccentricities of stable orbits in three most stable regions at low (0, 12deg.), medium (22,36deg.) and high (51, 59deg.) inclination, are found to be 0.10, 0.12 and 0.04, respectively. The fine structures in the dynamical maps are described. Via the frequency analysis method, the mechanisms that portray the dynamical maps are revealed. The secondary resonances, concerning the frequency of the librating resonant angle and the frequency of the quasi 2:1 mean motion resonance between Neptune and Uranus, are found deeply involved in the motion of NTs. Secular resonances are detected and they also contribute significantly to the triggering of chaos in the motion. Particularly, the effects of the secular resonance v8, v18 are clarified. We also investigate the orbital stabilities of six observed NTs by checking the orbits of hundreds clones of them generated within the observing error bars. We conclude that four of them, except 2001 QR322 and 2005 TO74, are deeply inside the stable region. The 2001 QR322 is in the close vicinity of the most significant secondary resonance. The 2005 TO74 locates close to the boundary separating stable orbits from unstable ones, and it may be influenced by a secular resonance.
The Eurybates family is a compact core inside the Menelaus clan, located in the L4 swarm of Jupiter Trojans. Fornasier et al. (2007) found that this family exhibits a peculiar abundance of spectrally flat objects, similar to Chiron-like Centaurs and C-type main belt asteroids. On the basis of the visible spectra available in literature, Eurybates familys members seemed to be good candidates for having on their surfaces water/water ice or aqueous altered materials. To improve our knowledge of the surface composition of this peculiar family, we carried out an observational campaign at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG), obtaining near-infrared spectra of 7 members. Our data show a surprisingly absence of any spectral feature referable to the presence of water, ices or aqueous altered materials on the surface of the observed objects. Models of the surface composition are attempted, evidencing that amorphous carbon seems to dominate the surface composition of the observed bodies and some amount of silicates (olivine) could be present.
Uranus provides a unique laboratory to test our understanding of planetary atmospheres under extreme conditions. Multi-spectral observations from Voyager, ground-based observatories, and space telescopes have revealed a delicately banded atmosphere punctuated by storms, waves, and dark vortices, evolving slowly under the seasonal influence of Uranus extreme axial tilt. Condensables like methane and hydrogen sulphide play a crucial role in shaping circulation, clouds, and storm phenomena via latent heat release through condensation, strong equator-to-pole gradients suggestive of equatorial upwelling and polar subsidence, and through forming stabilising layers that may decouple different circulation and convective regimes as a function of depth. Weak vertical mixing and low atmospheric temperatures associated with Uranus negligible internal heat means that stratospheric methane photochemistry occurs in a unique high-pressure regime, decoupled from the influx of external oxygen. The low homopause also allows for the formation of an extensive ionosphere. Finally, the atmosphere provides a window on the bulk composition of Uranus - the ice-to-rock ratio, supersolar elemental and isotopic enrichments inferred from remote sensing and future textit{in situ} measurements - providing key insights into its formation and subsequent migration. This review reveals the state of our knowledge of the time-variable circulation, composition, meteorology, chemistry, and clouds on this enigmatic `Ice Giant, summarising insights from more than three decades of observations, and highlighting key questions for the next generation of planetary missions. As a hydrogen-dominated, intermediate-sized, and chemically-enriched world, Uranus could be our closest and best example of atmospheric processes on a class of worlds that may dominate the census of planets beyond our own Solar System.
The $mu$ and $ u$ rings of Uranus form a secondary ring-moon system with the satellites Puck, Mab,Portia, and Rosalind. These rings are tenuous and dominated by micrometric particles, which can be strongly disturbed by the solar radiation pressure. We performed a numerical analysis of the orbital evolution of a sample of particles under the influence of the solar radiation force and the planetary oblateness, combined with the gravitational interaction with the close satellites. The most likely result is a collisions and the deposition of particles onto the surface of these satellites. Since this mechanism tends to cause a depletion of material of the rings, we investigate additional sources for these dust particles. Adopting a rough estimative of the flux of interplanetary meteoroids, we found that the ejections from Mab could generate a ring with optical depth comparable with the observations. A similar analysis was carried out for the F-ring dust band. The damping due to the Saturns oblateness prevents the overstated changes of the eccentricity and increases in the lifetime of the particles. Therewithal photometric study of the F-ring using Cassini images revealed that substantial secular increase in the brightness of Saturns F ring has occurred in the last 25 years. The shapes of the phase curves from Cassini and Voyager are similar, suggesting that although the number of dust particles has increased, the overall distribution of sizes is unchanged. The dust bands that permeate the rings of Uranus were observed late in 2007 during the equinox, when the Sun crossed the ring plane. Images taken with the VLT were processed and then combined to result in long-exposure frames. For each frame, the north and south radial profiles were extracted. They will be used to develop a photometric model.