Dynamical environments of MU69: a state of chaotic clearing

The second (after Pluto) plausible target object for the New Horizons mission is 2014 MU69. It is a classical TNO, a primordial contact binary. Identifying any material in the vicinities of a target object is of an especial concern for planning cosmic fly-byes, as it is hazardous for a space probe. Luckily, no such material has been reported for MU69 up to now. The point of our report is that this lucky absence is just a dynamical consequence of the physical nature of MU69. Spinning gravitating dumbbells create zones of dynamical chaos around them, and this has a clearing effect: any material put in orbits around a rotating dumbbell (e.g., any material ejected from its surface) cannot be long-lived in such zones; it either escapes into space, or returns to the parent body’s surface. As the orbiting matter is removed in this way, a spinning gravitating dumbbell clears its vicinities. We show that MU69 is able to create such a clearing, making itself a safe and hospitable target for a space mission. Therefore, the guest probe is expected to be safe on arrival.

GEOMETRICAL CONSTRAINTS FOR D = 10, N = 1 SUPERGRAVITY

A set of geometrical constraints for D = 10, N = 1 supergravity is formulated. It has the meaning as integrability conditions on "hyperplanes" determined by light-like lines in the superspace. The dynamical consequence of these geometrical constraints is studied via Bianchi identities. Since no equations of motion have resulted, these geometrical constraints can form an off-shell set of constraints for the theory. We also discuss additional constraints that lead to Poincare supergravity equations of motion. The relation of the theory with D = 4 N = 4 supergravity is also illuminated.