Perihelion motion of small irregular dust particles due to radiation forces

Abstract

Perihelion motion, i.e. a secular change of longitude of perihelion, of interplanetary dust particles is investigated under the action of solar gravity and solar electromagnetic radiation. As for spherical particle [Klačka, J., 2004. Electromagnetic radiation and motion of a particle. Cel. Mech. Dynam. Astron. 89, 1–61]: (i) perihelion motion is of the order v ⇒ 2 / c 2 ( v ⇒ is heliocentric velocity of the meteoroid and c is the speed of light in vacuum), if a component of electromagnetic radiation acceleration is considered as a part of central acceleration; (ii) perihelion motion is of the first order in v ⇒ / c if the total electromagnetic radiation force is considered as a disturbing force. The new facts presented in this paper concern irregular dust particles. Detailed numerical calculations were performed for the grains ejected at aphelion of comet Encke. Perihelion motion for irregular interplanetary dust particles exists already in the first order in v ⇒ / c for both cases of central accelerations. Moreover, perihelion motion of irregular particles exhibits both positive and negative directions during the particle orbital motion. Irregularity of the grains causes not only perihelion motion, but also dispersion of the dust in various directions, also normal to the orbital plane of the parent body.