Radiation forces on small particles in the Solar System: A re-consideration

Abstract

We respond to Klačka et al. (Klačka, J., Petržala, J., Pástor, P., Kómar, L. [2014]. Icarus, this issue, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2012.06.044.), who have criticized many previous derivations of the acceleration experienced by a spherical interplanetary particle owing to the Sun’s radiation. Much of their criticism arises from differences in semantics and notation as well as effects that are unimportant at Solar System speeds. Accordingly, in the appropriate limiting cases, most published expressions for the radiation forces, such as that found in Burns et al. (Burns, J.A., Lamy, P.L., Soter, S. [1979]. Icarus 40 1–48), are correct and duplicate the results of Klačka et al. (Klačka, J., Petržala, J., Pástor, P., Kómar, L. [2014]. Icarus, this issue, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2012.06.044).