Simulating Oort Cloud

[APODman]

Recently researchs has raised the debate about what could generate the recurring "mega cometary bombardment" in the inner solar system.

Two hypotheses are also competing:

1)  The presence of a gas giant with about 4x the mass of Jupiter with an SMA between 10000 and 30000 AU ( labeled "Tique" ) . This hypothesis is supported by the astronomers Daniel P. Whitmire and John J. Matese and robust in his robust latest work that can be read here: http://arxiv.org/abs/1004.4584

2) Close encounters with wanderers stars on every 2.8 million years which would cause gravitational disturbances in the Oort cloud casting a "rain" of comets into the solar system. (The last star to have approached the Sun at distance close to this was SAO 128711 at the distance of 57,000 AU about 1.2 million years ago.)

To test, with the US 2, to see which of the two hypotheses would be the most viable I created an "Oort cloud" around the solar system. Its inner boundary is about 10000 AU and its outer limit just over 1.00 light-years from the Sun. The cloud are composed of 50000 objects:


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This is not a perfect Oort Cloud as it is only an extreme modification of the function of creating "toroidal asteroid belts". As a consequence in reality the cloud is spheroidal appearance but in really it is a "tube" around the solar system.



But even with this detail is already possible to perform simulations for making a star to cross the outer edge of the cloud or entering a massive planet around, have virtually the same action of these bodies on particles in a spheroidal cloud.

I leave here the file of the simulation of the Oort Cloud to colleagues may also eventually make their simulations.


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[atomic7732]

Hmmm... I'll try this.

[Dan Dixon]

That's really awesome.

And kind of amazing to see what you were able to create with tools that were never designed for such a purpose.

Adding an 'accurate' Oort cloud is on my list. I expect to be adding better tools to create exactly this.