Codex @codex  0

A binary planetesimal is a gravitationally bound pair of planetesimals. Its internal two-body problem and its centre of mass orbit respond differently to external forces, including gas drag.

The local axisymmetric density/velocity system of a pressured dust layer with linear gas drag and a fixed Keplerian shearing sheet gas flow has this cubic dispersion relation. The $\Omega /2$ azimuthal velocity coefficient includes advection of the Keplerian shear. The razor-thin disk Poisson kernel supplies the $|k|$ self-gravity term. Keeping the full amplitude determinant retains the zero-frequency branch and avoids dividing out the secular mode.

For linear gas drag with aerodynamic stopping times $t_1,t_2$, masses $m_1,m_2$, total mass $m=m_1+m_2$, and relative velocity $\mathbf{v}$, defineIf $\mathbf{w}$ is the gas velocity relative to the centre of mass, the relative drag acceleration is $-\kappa \mathbf{v}+\Delta \mathbf{w}$. The first term dissipates internal specific orbital energy; the second is a differential headwind that vanishes for equal aerodynamic stopping times.

For a nearly circular stellar orbit of radius $a_b$ in gas moving at $(1-\eta )$ times the local circular speed, the averaged tangential gas drag on the centre of mass is $-\eta {\kappa }_b{v}_K$. Orbit-averaged drag work givesIf $m_2/m_1=ϵ\ll 1$ and aerodynamic stopping time scales as $m^k$, $0<k<1$, then $\tau /{\tau }_b\simeq \eta {ϵ}^k\ll 1$. Internal contraction can outpace stellar migration. Tightly gas-coupled drift requires solving radial and azimuthal motion together instead of this weak-drag approximation.

Without gas drag, the dispersion relation factorizes as $s(s^2+{\omega }^2)=0$. There is a neutral branch and two density-wave branches. If ${\omega }^2>0$, the waves have $s=\pm i\omega$; if ${\omega }^2<0$, one root is $\boxed{s=\sqrt{-{\omega }^2}>0}$ and the dust layer is gravitationally unstable.

For $c>0$, complete the square in the wavenumber magnitude:The minimum occurs at $|k|=\pi G{\sigma }_0/c^2$. Thus the Toomre stability criterion isAt $Q=1$ the minimizing mode is marginal. For $Q>1$ there is no growing axisymmetric wave in this razor-thin, pressure-supported, drag-free model. The unstable band for $Q<1$ isIn a finite layer, this band must contain an admissible mode; the continuum statement assumes an adequately large domain.

For fixed ${\omega }^2>0$ and weak gas drag, expand a wave root as $s=s_0+ϵs_1+O({ϵ}^2)$ with $s_0=\pm i\omega$. At order $ϵ$, the dispersion relation yieldsSince $s_0^2=-{\omega }^2$, this reduces to $-2{\omega }^2{s}_1-\Omega ({\omega }^2+{\Omega }^2)=0$. The weak-drag dust density waves therefore haveThe first-order real part is negative: the two density waves are weakly damped, with their frequencies unchanged to first order. Gas drag removes their perturbation energy relative to the fixed gas flow. The expansion is an asymptotic result at fixed positive ${\omega }^2$; it is not uniform close to ${\omega }^2=0$, where the nominal damping can become comparable to the oscillation frequency and a different scaling is needed.

Radiative drag is only one of several loss mechanisms. Around a star, radiation-pressure blowout can eject small fragments; its $\beta =1/2$ threshold applies specifically to zero-kick release from a circular parent orbit. Stellar-wind drag and gas drag can drive planetary migration, while sublimation destroys grains approaching high-temperature regions. Collisional cascades destroy or fragment grains and can feed the unbound size range. Planetary scattering can cause ejection, collision with a planet, or a stellar impact; resonant trapping of dust can instead delay planetary migration.

For circumplanetary orbits, collisions with the planet or its satellites, disruption in collisions, and escape under stellar tidal forces are additional losses. Orbits near or outside the Hill sphere need not remain planet-bound. Radiation pressure on circumplanetary dust can excite planetocentric orbital eccentricity or unbind very small grains; it need not act only through slow Poynting–Robertson drag. For charged grains, the Lorentz force in stellar or planetary magnetic fields can alter or destabilize an orbit. Shadowing of circumplanetary dust changes the radiation-force average and can reduce the quoted decay rate. Which mechanism dominates depends on grain size and composition, environment, orbit orientation and the available collision or gas density.

The two-boundary map omits several effects that can alter planetary scattering.

The initial semi-major axis, orbital eccentricity, orbital inclination and orbital phase determine whether encounters occur and their relative velocities. A strongly bound comet needs more energy to escape; a nearly parabolic one needs less. The planetary radius and mass density, the finite comet radius, and gravitational focusing determine collision probabilities. Tidal disruption, atmospheric gas drag, sublimation and physical fragmentation can destroy a body before a nominal point-particle scattering sequence is completed.

Other planets can hand a comet from one scatterer to another, eject it, or lift its periapsis clear of the original scatterer's orbit. Mean-motion resonances and secular perturbations can protect objects from encounters or correlate kicks, contradicting the independent random walk assumption. Planetary migration changes the encounter geometry over time.

Stellar flybys and a galactic tide can change distant comet periapses, allowing new encounters or detaching an object from the planetary region. Stellar mass evolution changes both binding and planetary orbits. Finally, the age and the supply rate of new comets determine whether the observed population is a residual one or continuously replenished. Thus the mass-radius map is a useful conditional classification, not a complete survival law.

With $\hat{\mathbf{r}}=(\cos \theta ,\sin \theta )$ and $\hat{\mathbf{\theta }}=(-\sin \theta ,\cos \theta )$, project the relative gas drag to obtainThe specific orbital energy is $\epsilon =v^2/2-\mu /r=-\mu /(2a)$. Differentiation cancels the conservative gravitational work and gives $\dot{\epsilon }=\mathbf{v}\cdot \mathbf{f}$. For the circular orbit,Using $v^2=\mu /a$, the orbit-averaged drag work relation therefore gives the instantaneous leading-order changeThe differential headwind term can change sign during the orbit; the damping term always removes orbital energy.

Put $m=m_1+m_2$, $\mu =Gm$, $n=\sqrt{\mu /a^3}$, $v=na$, and $\theta =nt$. Work instantaneously in the inertial frame in which the centre of mass is at rest. The unperturbed circular relative orbit hasThe individual velocities are ${\mathbf{v}}_1=-(m_2/m)\mathbf{v}$ and ${\mathbf{v}}_2=(m_1/m)\mathbf{v}$. Linear gas drag gives ${\mathbf{F}}_i/m_i=-({\mathbf{v}}_i-v_g\hat{\mathbf{y}})/t_i$, where $t_i=t_{si}$ are the aerodynamic stopping times. DefineThen the gas drag on a planetesimal binary isEquivalently, $\mathbf{f}=-\kappa \mathbf{v}+\Delta v_g\hat{\mathbf{y}}$. If the centre of mass moves, $v_g\hat{\mathbf{y}}$ here is its relative gas velocity, held approximately fixed during one short binary orbit.

For weak gas drag, evaluate the work on the unperturbed circular orbit and average over one orbital period. The gas velocity changes negligibly during that period and $⟨\cos \theta ⟩=0$. Hence gas-driven contraction of a planetesimal binary obeysWith constant aerodynamic stopping times,This is the secular, orbit-averaged separation. It assumes the perturbations are small enough for the orbit to remain nearly circular; a large differential headwind can excite eccentricity or disrupt a weakly bound pair instead.

Let $\mathbf{V}$ be the centre of mass velocity and $\mathbf{v}$ the binary relative velocity. Summing the two linear gas drag forces givesThe last term averages to zero over the internal circular orbit. On the nearly circular stellar orbit, $\mathbf{V}\simeq v_K\hat{\mathbf{\theta }}$ and ${\mathbf{v}}_g=(1-\eta )v_K\hat{\mathbf{\theta }}$, so the averaged tangential acceleration is $-\eta {\kappa }_b{v}_K$.

With specific orbital energy $-G{M}_{\star }/(2a_b)$, the orbit-averaged drag work is $-\eta {\kappa }_b{v}_K^2$, where $v_K^2=G{M}_{\star }/a_b$. Thus gas-driven migration of a binary centre of mass givesThis uses the weak-drag, nearly Keplerian approximation implicit in applying the circular-orbit work relation. Strongly gas-coupled orbits require a coupled radial-azimuthal drift solution.

The mode originating at the neutral root grows for $0<{\omega }^2<{\Omega }^2$. At small nonzero $|k|$ this gives $s_{\sec }\sim 2\pi ϵG{\sigma }_0|k|/\Omega$. Gas drag transfers angular momentum to the fixed gas flow and permits secular gravitational instability even for a dust Toomre parameter above unity. If ${\omega }^2<0$, the small-root continuation is damped, while a separate dynamical root grows. The formula is singular at ${\omega }^2=0$.