Constraints on the Orbital Evolution of Triton

Abstract

We present simulations of Triton's post-capture orbit that confirm the importance of Kozai-type oscillations in its orbital elements. In the context of the tidal orbital evolution model, these variations require average pericenter distances much higher than previously published, and the timescale for the tidal orbital evolution of Triton becomes longer than the age of the Solar System. Recently-discovered irregular satellites present a new constraint on Triton's orbital history. Our numerical integrations of test particles indicate a timescale for Triton's orbital evolution to be less than $10^5$ yrs for a reasonable number of distant satellites to survive Triton's passage. This timescale is inconsistent with the exclusively tidal evolution (time scale of $>10^8$ yrs), but consistent with the interestion with the debris from satellite-satellite collisions. Any major regular satellites will quickly collide among themselves after being perturbed by Triton, and the resulting debris disk would eventually be swept up by Triton; given that the total mass of the Uranian satellite system is 40% of that of Triton, large scale evolution is possible. This scenario could have followed either collisional or the recently-discussed three-body-interaction-based capture.

arXiv comment10 pages, 4 figures, accepted for ApJL

References in corpus (1)

• Photometry of Irregular Satellites of Uranus and Neptune

Cited by in corpus (19)

• Irregular Satellites of the Planets: Products of Capture in the Early Solar System
• Collisional Evolution of Irregular Satellite Swarms: Detectable Dust around Solar System and Extrasolar Planets
• Orbital Perturbations of the Galilean Satellites During Planetary Encounters
• Long-Term Stability of Planets in the $\alpha$ Centauri System
• Reassessing the origin of Triton
• Triton's Evolution with a Primordial Neptunian Satellite System
• Compaction and Melt Transport in Ammonia-Rich Ice Shells: Implications for the Evolution of Triton
• Planetesimals and Satellitesimals: Formation of the Satellite Systems
• Orbits and resonances of the regular moons of Neptune
• Impact bombardment on the regular satellites of Jupiter and Uranus during an episode of giant planet migration
• Co-accretion + giant impact origin of the Uranus system: Tilting Impact
• Searching for Saturn's Dust Swarm: Limits on the size distribution of Irregular Satellites from km to micron sizes
• The origin of Neptune's unusual satellites from a planetary encounter
• On the Use of Cherenkov Telescopes for Outer Solar System Body Occultations
• Capture of satellites during planetary encounters A case study of the Neptunian moons Triton and Nereid
• Last giant impact on the Neptunian system. Constraints on oligarchic masses in the trans-Saturnian region
• The Gravisphere Method Algorithm Programming
• Nereid as a Regular Satellite of Neptune
• Neptune's Inner Moons and Rings Are Exposed Icy Body Interiors