Poynting–Robertson decay of a circumplanetary orbit ($⟨\dot{a}{⟩}_{\mathrm{cp}}$)

Consider a circular circumplanetary orbit well inside the Hill sphere, with dust speed $u^2=G{M}_p/a$ and unit plane normal $\hat{\mathbf{k}}$. During one dust orbital period, take the stellar direction $\hat{\mathbf{R}}$ and flux at the planet's stellar radius $a_p$ as constant. The velocity-dependent Poynting–Robertson drag has relative workThe constant terms have zero work over the closed circular orbit. Since $⟨u_i{u}_j⟩=(u^2/2)({\delta }_{ij}-k_i{k}_j)$,The coefficient is three for coplanar stellar and dust orbits; it is two for a dust plane normal to the instantaneous stellar direction. Averaging over a circular planetary year at fixed dust orbital inclination $I$ gives $3-{\sin }^{2}I/2$. Conservative perturbations must remain small enough for this circular-orbit average.

For coplanar circular dust, constant $A=\beta G{M}_{\star }/c$, fixed stellar radius $a_p$ and initial planetocentric radius $a_0>R_p$, integrating $\dot{a}=-3Aa/a_p^2$ givesCompare the inspiral time under Poynting–Robertson drag for a circular circumstellar orbit, $t_{\mathrm{cs}}=(a_p^2-R_{\star }^2)/(4A)$. Planetary arrival is not automatically faster; in the point-star limit it is faster only for $a_0/R_p<e^{3/4}$. A different constant orientation coefficient replaces three.