Impact crater formation: a simple application of solid state physics

TL;DR

This paper explores impact crater formation by applying solid state physics principles to astronomical data, enabling estimation of impactor speeds based on target material properties, with results aligning well with celestial mechanics.

Contribution

It introduces a simple method to estimate impactor speeds on planetary bodies using solid state physics and astronomical data, bridging physics and planetary science.

Findings

Estimated impactor speeds match celestial mechanics results

Crystalline structure assumptions enable straightforward calculations

Method applicable to various planetary system objects

Abstract

This contribution is a first step aiming to address a general question: what can be concluded on impact craters which exist on various planetary system objects, by combining astronomical data and known theoretical results from solid state physics. Assuming that the material of the target body is of crystaline structure,it is shown that a simple calculation gives the possibility of estimating the speed of the impactor responsible for the creation of a crater.A test value,calculated using observed data on the composition of some asteroids,gives a value of the speed in good agreement with results of celestial mechanics.