Collisions and Gravitational Reaccumulation: Forming Asteroid Families and Satellites
Patrick Michel,1*
Willy Benz,2
Paolo Tanga,13
Derek C. Richardson4
Numerical simulations of the collisional disruption of
large asteroids show that although the parent body is totally
shattered, subsequent gravitational reaccumulation leads to the
formation of an entire family of large and small objects with dynamical properties similar to those of the parent body. Simulations were performed in two different collisional regimes representative of
asteroid families such as Eunomia and Koronis. Our results indicate
that all large family members must be made of gravitationally reaccumulated fragments; that the post-collision member size
distribution and the orbital dispersion are steeper and smaller,
respectively, than for the evolved families observed today; and that
satellites form frequently around family members.
1 Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, B.P.
4229, 06304 Nice Cedex 4, France.
2 Physikalisches
Institut, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern,
Switzerland.
3 Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino,
Strada Osservatorio 20, 10025 Pino Torinese, Italy.
4 Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland,
College Park, MD 20742-2421, USA.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
michel{at}obs-nice.fr
