Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 316 2 iii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Put . The Poynting–Robertson drag acceleration has and . Its work is strictly dissipative:For an unperturbed elliptic orbit, use , and . Averaging over its orbital period givesSince , and , the Poynting–Robertson decay of a circumstellar orbit isFor a circular Kepler orbit this becomes . This is a secular first-order average, not an exact instantaneous decay law. If static radiation pressure is appreciable, use a bound conservative orbit with central parameter , requiring , and define its orbital elements accordingly; repeating the work calculation cancels and leaves the same coefficient .