On possibility of clustering of microparticles of orbital debris in circular and elliptical orbits

Estimation is made of the possibility of clustering of debris particles in circular and elliptical orbits around the Earth due to the change in drag, caused by quasi-periodic variations of the atmospheric density in the orbit. The estimations show that the collective behavior of particles has time to be manifested in highly elliptical orbits, where the relative change in the atmospheric density along the orbital path is greater and characteristic lifetimes of the particles are longer. However, in this case the limit distributions of the particles are not realized, because the clusters form and break down several times during the lifetime of the particles in the orbit.