2026-10-14T08:08:50Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/32826275 2026-10-01T16:09:20Z portal_1172 item_type_8 month_year_10_2026

The dynamics and evolution of simulated near-earth asteroid families and interplanetary dust Alice Julie Humpage (24304523) PUREID: 677809366 numerical minor planets asteroids interplanetary dust Mars I present a study into the dynamics and evolution of small Solar-System bodies. The thesis is in three parts, applying N-body simulations of near-Earth asteroid (NEA) and interplanetary dust clusters representing the debris of an asteroid breakup. The first chapter studied the evolution of synthetic NEA families. This chapter is intended as a guide, so that asteroid families and pairs can be searched for where they’re likely to stay closer together for longer. If found, these families can tell us much about the dynamics, composition, and formation of near-Earth asteroids. The orbital inclination, eccentricity, and breakup within a mean-motion resonance all had an effect on the frequency and amplitude of Kozai-Lidov oscillations, which slowed or increased the rate of orbital dispersion. The second chapter applied simulated clusters of dust to a study of the zodiacal light, specifically the circumsolar torus in the 1:1 resonance with the Earth. I investigated the possibility that this ring of dust originates from the hypothetical breakup of an asteroid in the Earth co-orbital region. I found that the breakup of an asteroid with low inclination in the tadpole or horseshoe mode with the Earth could be the source of the circumsolar ring of dust. The third chapter simulated clusters of dust from the Eureka family of trojan asteroids. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft detected dust at high altitudes around Mars. I investigated the possibility that debris released by the Eureka trojan family could be a source of the dust detected by MAVEN. It was found that around 80% of the dust was likely to approach Mars, and while the known breakups of the Eureka clusters are not recent enough, unknown breakup events or the release of ejecta from Eureka could be detected by MAVEN. 2026-10-01T16:09:20Z Text Thesis 10.17034/32826275.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/The_dynamics_and_evolution_of_simulated_near-earth_asteroid_families_and_interplanetary_dust/32826275 All Rights Reserved