Long-term dynamical evolution of dusty ejecta from Deimos

We re-assess expected properties of the presumed dust belt of Mars formed by impact ejecta from Deimos. Previous studies have shown that dynamics of Deimos particles are dominated by two perturbing forces: radiation pressure (RP) and Mars’ oblateness (J2). At the same time, they have demonstrated that lifetimes of particles, especially of grains about ten of micrometers in size, may reach more than 10⁴ years. On such timescales, the Poynting-Robertson drag (PR) becomes important. Here we provide a study of the dynamics under the combined action of all three perturbing forces. We show that a PR decay of the semimajor axes leads to an adiabatic decrease of amplitudes and periods of oscillations in orbital inclinations predicted in the framework of the underlying RP+J2 problem. Furthermore, we show that smallest of the long-lived Deimos grains (radius≈5- may reach a chaotic regime, resulting in unpredictable and abrupt changes of their dynamics. The particles just above that size (≈10-) should be the most abundant in the Deimos torus. Our dynamical analysis, combined with a more accurate study of the particle lifetimes, provides corrections to earlier predictions about the dimensions and geometry of the Deimos torus. In addition to a population, appreciably inclined and shifted towards the Sun, the torus should contain a more contracted, less asymmetric, and less tilted component between the orbits of Phobos and Deimos.     

Comparing the Validity and Reliability of Place Attachment Across Cultures

Researchers often measure human–place bonds via place attachment scales across a variety of settings. However, scale use does not always include an evaluation of the scales’ psychometric properties, especially in multisite studies. Failure to consider a place attachment scale’s measurement properties makes both validity and reliability assumptions and may lead to improper data interpretation. Hence, this investigation assessed a place attachment scale across three sites via data collected on site in natural resource protected areas in Colorado, Minnesota, and Germany. A series of confirmatory factor analyses assessed the hypothesized two-dimensional (i.e., place identity and place dependence) model, Cronbach’s alphas calculated a measure of internal consistency, and a multigroup procedure cross-validated the scale. Some items did not load on the hypothesized dimension and the pattern of factor loadings was not equivalent across settings, suggesting assessment of place attachment scales may be necessary when used in new contexts.