Abstract
In the present paper, the problem of whether the interplanetary matter has a tendency to accumulate around the Lagrangian libration pointsL 4 andL 5, is examined statistically. It is concluded that: (1) If the particles are initially assumed to be distributed uniformly, they keep the uniformity ever after around the libration points. (2) If the particles receive random stochastic perturbations, their distribution tends to become uniform even if initially they have non-uniform distributions. (3) If the particles mutually collide inelastically, they have a tendency to avoid the regions near the libration points. Therefore, the interplanetary matter will not tend to accumulate near the libration points. Even if the observations of the ‘libration cloud’ so far reported are confirmed, the clouds are likely to be but temporary objects.
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Sekiguchi, N. On the theoretical possibility of the libration cloud. The Moon 2, 129–135 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00561955
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00561955