List of Poster Presentations: Poster Award Winner
Preliminary results of Near-miss Occultation Survey for Extinct Comet CandidatesHuan MENGSince late 2005, we have performed a photometric survey for near-miss occultations by extinct comet candidates and inactive comets at large heliocentric distance to examine their circumnuclear environment for dust evidence. By October 2006, 30 observations of 10 objects have been performed. The currently obtained results include inexplicable brightness induced by the approach of (3200) Phaethon, inconsistent outcomes of 2005 UD, the detection of sunward coma, a jet-like feature and a possible ion tail of Encke at 2.9AU, as well as null results of some other objects. Very close approaching NEAs - population model and survey opportunitiesPeter VERESThe population of small Near Earth Objects of diameters about several meters is still not very well understood. These objects are transition objects between asteroids, comets and meteoroids. We simulated geometric conditions of small close approaching NEAs to the Earth and proposed low cost wide field survey system to be able to discover them. Numeric integration (11 million NEA orbits) was used to reveal geometrical conditions during close approaches. Results implied several opportunities to make some discoveries with such a survey system. Synthetic population model was used to calculate collisional frequency with the Earth and comparison with observational data from DoD satellites and bolide infrasonic detection grid was made. Observations of Dwarf Planets on Lulin ObservatoryHsing-Wen LIN (Edward LIN)To provide complementary observations and ground-based supports to space missions to the trans-neptunian objects (TNOs), the Lulin Observatory in Taiwan has started a program to study the time variabilities of several brightnesses of the large TNOs or dwarf planets. Our initial results show that 50000 Quaoar has a significant brightness variation of m = 0.3 with a rotation period of about 18.84 hours while Eris (formerly 2003 UB313) has very little brightness variation (m = 0.05) and its rotation period is hence highly uncertain even though a periodicity of 3.55 hours is suggested by our measurements. Light scattering on irregular shaped dust particlesMelanie KOEHLERRadiation pressure force is one of the major force acting on small particles in the solar system. The influence of the radiation pressure force depends on the light-scattering properties of the particles which depend on material composition, shape, structure and size of the grains. In our model calculations we determine the light-scattering properties of aggregates consisting of single spherical monomers where we vary the material composition and the structure of the constituent monomers. The calculations show that the influence of the radiation pressure force on dust particles depends strongly on the material compositions but less on how the material is distributed in the monomers. Sputtering of high altitude meteorsPavel KOTENBeginning heights and light curves of meteors with beginning height above 130 km we investigated and several proofs for the sputtering model were found. From the meteor light curves is possible to distinguish two different processes that govern radiation of the meteors at different altitudes. Sputtering from the meteoroid surface is the dominating process in the initial part of the meteor luminous trajectory. Around 130 km the ablation starts to prevail. The sputtering model was also successfully applied to explain the difference in the beginning heights of high altitude Leonid and Perseid meteors. Finally, this process in connection with high altitude fragmentation could explain the anomalously high beginning heights of several relatively faint meteors. The spatial distribution of Sodium on MercuryYung-Ching WANGThe surface-bounded atmosphere of Mercury consists of H, He, O, Na, K, Ca atoms, etc. The number density distribution of Na could vary a lot with time and location according to the ground-based observations of the Na D-line emission. We have attempted to simulate both steady-state spatial distribution and density distribution from episodic production of Na atoms under normal solar conditions by tacing Na atoms with ballistic random walks under the influence of radiation pressure and provide a basis for comparison with observations. Distribution of Dust in Debris Disks -- A Kinetic DescriptionTorsten LOEHNEAfter the early protoplanetary phase, circumstellar disks have lost much of their material or collected it into planets. The moderate amount of solids in these optically thin, gas-poor disks still covers a broad range of sizes from planets down to small dust grains. The main force acting upon this circumstellar material and holding it on Keplerian orbits is the stellar gravity. Small grains below one hundred microns in size are additionally affected by stellar radiation, weakening or overpowering the gravitational bond. The material undergoes a collisional cascade from parent bodies to ever-smaller debris until it is lost to evaporation close to the star or ejection out of the system. Based on this process, the size and the spatial distribution in debris disks develop characteristic features even if there is nothing but statistically distributed parent bodies and grains. The kinetic/statistical approach used is able to cover a mass range of many orders of magnitude while simultaneously treating radial structure. The Vega disk is used as numerical example. A re-examination of the thermal models of EnceladusI-Ling LINEnceladus, the inner icy moon of Saturn, is now made famous by the gas plumep and dust jets emanating from its south ple as discovered by the ISS camera experiment on Cassini. A comparison of the temperature distributions from theoretical models and Cassini observations, respectively, indicted strong heat flux in the vicinity of the source region of the dusty gas plumes. At the same time, the low-latitude area of peak surface temperature caused by solar radiation was found to apparently shifted from the predicted location. This effect has prompted us to re-examine the thermal conduction calculations with a range of possible thermal conductivities pertinent to porous materials. The ideal is to check whether the continuous addition of small icy grains in some regions (but not other places) would have some detectable consequences in the global surface temperature distribution of Enceladus. Exciting the Tumbling of NEOs by the Tidal Interaction with EarthYoungmin JeongAhn and Seung Soo HongScheeres(2001) ignored change in spin angular velocity of a non-spherical asteroid while it is encountering a planet, and constructed an analytical formulation that would calculate total change of the rotational angular momentum due to the tidal encounter. With his formulation we were able to orient such a mutual orbit that would make dynamic moment of inertia, ID, become minimum for a given trajectory. The spin angular velocity is then allowed to vary in our numerical integrations of the Euler dynamics. Adopting the analytically obtained orientation as a trial start, we will find out its true minimum ID orientation for a large volume of trajectory parameters. This will assess how important the tidal interaction could be for exciting tumbling motions of NEOs. Ejection of Large Dust Particles from Comet 22P/KopffJeonghyun PYOWe have simulated orbit of large dust particles ejected from Comet 22P/Kopff and synthesized its trail. Planetary perturbations are shown to be important especially for dusts with size larger than centimeter. Comparison of the synthesized trail with the observations determines the dust production rate for the comet to be 4 kg/s, which is within a factor two from the recent estimate (Reach et al. 2006), 2 kg/s, for two dozen comets. Photophoresis and Cometary SilicatesHorner J., Mousis O., Petit J.M., Wurm G., Krauss O., Alibert Y.In the study of the final stages of planetary formation, one effect that has been ignored until recently is photophoresis. During the period that the nebula becomes optically thin enough for particles to see the proto-Sun, but still has a reasonable gas content, the photophoretic force acts to push dust grains outward. This provides a mechanism to transport silicaceous material from the inner Solar system to the regions in which the comets were forming. Further, the dust driven outward in this manner will eventually reach a region where the gas pressure is so low that the combined outward forces of radiation pressure and photophoresis balances the inward effects of gas drag (as opposed to closer in, where photophoresis and radiation pressure would be more effective than gas drag). For a given nebula model, this leads to a 'pile-up' of dust at around 50 Au (with size differentiation such that larger particles are stable closer to the Sun than their smaller brethren). Finally, as the gas continues to disperse, the equilibrium point moves back inward, reaching a distance of around 30 Au before the nebula is wholly dissipated. Such a process would lead to an influx of silicates in the region of the forming Edgeworth-Kuiper belt, which could, effectively, result in 'dust-loading' of these bodies. Comets which had already been ejected from the regime of the outer planets into the Oort cloud could, conceivably, have missed this excess dust. Any comets still forming in the Outer Solar system (between Jupiter and Neptune) during this period would, of course, be swept by this outward moving dust belt, but would presumably acquire less dust than those in the 30-50 Au range, where the belt reaches its temporary equilibrium. This model suggests that comets which originate in the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt should be observed to contain some fraction of material which formed well within the ice-line (such as the crystalline silicates), along with suggesting that a fraction of Oort cloud comets (in particular those ejected early on) should contain a much smaller mass-fraction of such material. The existence of Olivine and CAIs in the ejecta from Comet Wild 2 (found by the Stardust mission) can easily be explained by this model. Also, photophoresis offers an alternative explanation for the measurement of a surprisingly high dust/ice ratio in Tempel 1 (from the Deep Impact collision) - if objects in the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt suffered the proposed dust loading, this could easily contribute to such a dust excess. Hot dust around Sun-like stars: The importance of detailed modellingRachel SmithStudies of the debris disk phenomenon have shown that most systems are analogous to the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt. Recent observational studies have revealed a rare subset of Sun-like stars that possess dust which lies, in contrast,in the terrestrial planet region. We carried out an observational programme to investigate the occurence of this warm dust around Sun-like stars and compared the results to a simple analytical model. We find that for most of the confirmed sources in the sample, comparison to analytical modelling suggests an asteroid belt-like region in collisional equilibrium is unlikely to be the source of the emission. However, the simplifying assumptions made in this modelling may result in a misrepresentation of the evolution of such a cascade in the model predictions. A more detailed numerical model has been developed, and the results compared with the predictions of the analytical modelling to test the validity of the conclusions drawn. The Journey from Jovian Interior to the Solar System and Extrasolar PlanetsYasunori HORIThe formation process in the Solar System has been veiled to attract us. One approach to its scenario is to determine the core mass of Jupiter [Mcore]. The latest planetary models that are consistent with observational properties suggest Mcore should range from 0 to 10 Mearth. Too extensive constraint has prevented us from understanding our system. It mostly results from uncertainties of equation of state for hydrogen, not to mention problems due to observational accuracy. My poster will explain backgrounds mentioned above in detail and show you how we're trying to break through these problems, including our laser experiments. On The Effect of Poloidal Magnetic Field on Planetary MigrationTakayuki MUTOPlanetary migration is the radial motion of protoplanets due to the gravitational interaction between protoplanets and circumstellar gas. Recent work has shown that when a protoplanet of an Earth mass is formed at 1AU, it falls towards the central star before the dispersal of the protoplanetary disk. In order for protoplanets to survive, some mechanism should act to stop the infall. Recently, it has been shown that toroidal magnetic field may stop the inward planetary migration under a certain condition, so magnetic field should be important in planetary migration. In this poster, the effect of weak poloidal magnetic field is invesitgated. Three-dimensional thermo-hydro dynamics simulation: Chondrule formation in the shockwave heating model.Seiji YASUDAIn the shock-wave heating model, which is considered to be one of the most plausible models for chondrule formation, dust particles are heated by the gas frictional heating. So it is easily expected that the dust particle starts to melt from surface to inside. Additionally, due to the ram pressure of the fast gas flow, the liquid part is considered to strip from the solid part (Kato et al. 2006, Kadono and Arakawa 2005) In order to examine the heat evolution of the dust particle and the dynamics of the liquid part, we report the calculation code of the three phase mixed three-dimensional thermo-hydro dynamics. Photometry and surface mapping of asteroid Itokawa from Hayabusa NIRS observationsK. Kitazato, B.E. Clark, M. Abe, S. Abe, Y. Takagi, T. Hiroi, O.S. Barnouin-Jha,
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