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H. Scholl (Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, Nice, France), F. Marzari, P. Tricarico (Dipartimento di Fisica, Padova, Italy)
Applying Laskar's Frequency Map Analysis (FMA), we investigated the stability of the Neptune Trojan region. Particular attention was given to the recently discovered Neptune Trojan 2001 QR322. Results are obtained in form of diffusion maps which give relative timescales for the stability of orbits in different regions of proper element space. Over 8000 orbits of Neptune Trojans with different values of inclination ranging from 0 to 30 degrees have been integrated and analysed with the FMA method. The Trojan 2001 QR322 is situated at the border of one of the most stable regions at low inclination. Integrating 70 clones of the Trojan randomly generated from the covariance matrix, we find that only 10% of the clones escape from the Trojan cloud after 4.5 Byr. All escapers have high diffusion speed. Other stable regions with low diffusion speed are located at higher inclinations and low libration amplitude.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35 #4
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.