COLLISIONAL MODEL OF ASTEROIDS AND THEIR DEBRIS

Abstract

Model for colliding objects in the asteroidal belt is formulated. An integro-differential equation describing the evolution of a system of particles undergoing inelastic collisions and fragmentation is derived and solved for steady-state conditions. For asteroidal objects, catastrophic collisions sonstitute the most important physical process determining particle lifetimes and the form of the particle distribution for particles sufficiently large that radiation effects are unimportant. The lifetime of the largest asteroids is found to be of the same order of magnitude as the probable lifetime of the solar system.