Rotational Disruption of Nonspherical Cometary Dust Particles by Radiative Torques

Abstract

Rigorous statistical numerical analysis of the response of a nonspherical dust particle ensemble composed of aggregates of astronomical silicate is presented. It is found that the rotational disruption mechanism is not only likely to occur but to be a key element in explaining many separate observations of cometary dust. Namely, radiative torques are shown to spin-up and align cometary dust within the timescales of cometary activity. Additionally, the radiative torque alignment and disruption mechanisms within certain conditions are shown to be consistent with observations of rapid polarization of dust and spectral bluing of dust. The results indicate that radiative torques should be taken into account nearly universally when considering the evolution of cometary dust.