On the effect of the sun on Kordylewski clouds

Abstract

In this paper, we focus on the existence of dust clouds moving near the triangular points of the Earth–Moon system, the so-called Kordylewski clouds. The study is based on using some simplified planar models to find possible locations for these clouds. The validity of these predictions is tested by means of numerical simulations on a realistic model. The simplified models are based on the Earth–Moon restricted three-body problem plus the direct gravitational effect of the Sun on the particles (this is the so-called bicircular model), the solar radiation pressure and the Poynting–Robertson effect. The analysis of these models shows that there are some stability regions in the Earth–Moon plane, at some distance of the triangular points. The stability of these regions has been tested numerically in realistic (nonplanar) models. The results show that particles in these regions persist for some time (about a century), but it is very remarkable that many of these particles also escape the Earth–Moon system. If we perform backwards in time numerical simulations we obtain a similar result: particles also escape the Earth–Moon system after a similar time. From this point of view, the clouds are not a stable region in the classical sense of the term, but a region with “slow diffusion” where interplanetary particles stay for some years.