Related papers: Why is the Moon synchronously rotating?
There are a number of reasons to think that the electron cannot truly be spinning. Given how small the electron is generally taken to be, it would have to rotate superluminally to have the right angular momentum and magnetic moment. Also,…
According to the giant impact theory, the Moon formed through accreting the debris disk produced by a collision between Theia and the proto-Earth, and the predicted lunar orbital inclination relative to the Earth's equatorial plane is about…
Impacts that leave the Earth-Moon system with a large excess in angular momentum have recently been advocated as a means of generating a protolunar disc with a composition that is nearly identical to that of the Earth's mantle. We here…
Recent findings on retrograde co-orbital mean-motion resonances in the Earth-Moon system, highlight the potential use of spacecraft in retrograde resonances. Based on these discoveries, this study investigates retrograde co-orbital…
A commonly noted feature of the population of multi-planet extrasolar systems is the rarity of planet pairs in low-order mean-motion resonances. We revisit the physics of resonance capture via convergent disk-driven migration. We point out…
The Moon migrated to $r_{\leftmoon}\simeq3.8\times10^{10}$ cm over a characteristic time $r/v=10^{10}$ Gyr by tidal interaction with the Earth's oceans at a present velocity of $v=3.8$ cm yr$^{-1}$. We derive scaling of global dissipation…
Tidal dissipation of kinetic energy, when it is strong enough, tends to synchronize the rotation of planets and moons with the mean orbital motion, or drive it into long-term stable spin-orbit resonances. As the orbital motion undergoes…
In this Letter, we give new constraints on planet migration. They were obtained under the assumption that Saturn's current obliquity is due to a capture in resonance with Neptune's ascending node. If planet migration is too fast, then…
In the mathematical framework of a restricted, slightly dissipative spin-orbit model, we prove the existence of periodic orbits for astronomical parameter values corresponding to all satellites of the Solar system observed in exact…
We study the tidal evolution of a binary system consisting of a 1.4 Msun compact object in elliptic orbit about a 10 Msun uniformly rotating main sequence star for various values of the initial orbital parameters. We apply our previously…
We compute the shift in the frequency of the spin resonance in a solid that rotates in the field of a circularly polarized electromagnetic wave. Electron spin resonance, nuclear magnetic resonance, and ferromagnetic resonance are…
A planet's orbital alignment places important constraints on how a planet formed and consequently evolved. The dominant formation pathway of ultra-short period planets ($P<1$ day) is particularly mysterious as such planets most likely…
The aim of this article is to propose a model, that is a planar version of the Full Two-Body Problem, and discuss the existence and stability of a relevant periodic solution. Consider two homogeneous ellipsoids orbiting around each other in…
The significant orbital eccentricities of most giant extrasolar planets may have their origin in the gravitational dynamics of initially unstable multiple planet systems. In this work, we explore the dynamics of two close planets on…
Prior to the invention of the telescope many astronomers worked out theories of the motion of the Moon. The purpose of such theories was to be able to predict the position of the Moon in the sky. These geometrical models implied a certain…
We investigate orbital resonances expected to arise when a system of two planets, with masses in the range 1-4 Earth masses, undergoes convergent migration while embedded in a section of gaseous disc where the flow is laminar. We consider…
We investigate the problem of the typical rotation states of the small planetary satellites from the viewpoint of the dynamical stability of their rotation. We show that the majority of the discovered satellites with unknown rotation…
The transit method is a promising means to detect exomoons, but few candidates have been identified. For planets close to their stars, the dynamical interaction between a satellite's orbit and the star must be important in their evolution.…
We present a theoretical framework for investigating a two-planet system undergoing convergent type I migration in a protoplanetary disk. Our study identifies the conditions for resonant capture and subsequent dynamical stability. By…
We consider spin dynamics in the impurity band of a semiconductor with spin-split spectrum. Due to the splitting, phonon-assisted hops from one impurity to another are accompanied by rotation of the electron spin, which leads to spin…