Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences
Journal license

Journal

Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences


Volume
& Issue

Volume 3, Issue 1


Published
on

May 21, 2018


Pages

187-208


DOI

Article

The Triaxiality Role in the Spin-Orbit Dynamics of a Rigid Body

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Authors

A. Cantero Affiliation:
DITEC, Facultad de Informática, Universidad Murcia, 30071 Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
, F. Crespo Affiliation:
GISDA, Dept. de Matemática, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Collao 1202, Casilla 5-C., Concepción, Chile
and S. Ferrer Affiliation:
DITEC, Facultad de Informática, Universidad Murcia, 30071 Espinardo, Murcia, Spain


Abstract

We study the roto-orbital dynamics of a uniform sphere and a triaxial body by means of a radial intermediary, which defines a 2-DOF Hamiltonian system. Our analysis is carried out by using variables referred to the total angular momentum. Its validity and applicability is assessed numerically by experiments comprising three different scenarios; analysis of the triaxiality, eccentricity and altitude. They show that there is a range of parameters and initial conditions for which the radial distance and the slow angles are estimated accurately, even after one orbital period. On the contrary, fast angles deteriorates as the triaxiality grows. We also include the study of the relative equilibria, finding constant radius solutions filling 4-D and lower dimensional tori. These families of relative equilibria include some of the classical ones reported in the literature and some new types. For a number of scenarios the relation between the triaxiality and the inclination connected with relative equilibria are given.


Keywords

Rotational and orbital dynamics, gravity-gradient, intermediary, relative equilibria, 70F05, 70F15


Citation

Cantero, A., Crespo, F., & Ferrer, S. (2018). The triaxiality role in the spin-orbit dynamics of a rigid body. Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences, 3(1), 187–208. https://doi.org/10.21042/AMNS.2018.1.00015

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