Mechanical evolution of small solar system bodies

Abstract

This dissertation presents a series of studies that develop and apply numerical modeling techniques to small bodies in the solar system. We are particularly interested in low-energy deformations, collisions, and disruptions, and our subjectsrange from near-Earth asteroids to Kuiper belt contact binaries in the farthest reaches of the solar system. We use the N-body code pkdgrav to investigate these processes and describe our significant additions to its capabilities. Our first subject is the Kuiper belt object Arrokoth. On January 1, 2019, the New Horizons spacecraft flew within 3,550 km of Arrokoth, returning the first in-situ images of a small body in the classical Kuiper belt. Arrokoth was found to be bilobate, with a distinctive contact binary structure. We use pkdgrav to investigate the origins of Arrokoth's striking shape and find that plausible formation mechanisms are quite limited. We rule out the possibility of a direct impact between two unbound objects and put forward an alternate scenario in which two cometesimals in a close, synchronous orbit gradually spiral in toward one another before meeting in a gentle merger. We conclude by exploring implications for the formation of small Kuiper belt objects more generally. Next, we describe our work modifying pkdgrav to accommodate non-spherical particles. Prior work in granular physics has established that particle shape is an important factor governing the behavior of granular bodies like small solar system objects. Irregular particles tend to interlock with one another, inhibiting bulk motion and adding to the shear strength of a medium. We adapt pkdgrav's existing soft-sphere, discrete element contact physics model to allow for modeling of non-spherical grains. We then apply this new capability in three, small-scale proof of concept studies of spin-up, tidal disruption, and the Brazil nut effect. We find a significant difference in behavior when comparing small rubble-pile bodies composed of spherical particles and those composed of non-spherical particles. Finally, we apply our newly-developed tools to a more comprehensive investigation of particle shape in tidal disruption simulations. We construct small rubble piles from a range of differently-shaped constituents and subject them to simulated tidal encounters with the Earth. We conduct a parameter sweep across different encounter geometries and constituent shapes and conclude that particle shape is a significant contributor to tidal encounter outcomes. The role of particle resolution is also investigated.