On the Hecuba gap

Abstract

An asteroid captured in the Hecuba gap (2/1 resonance with Jupiter) may remain there for a long time before escaping. However, the study of the diffusion of orbits in the gap indicates an escape timescale in the range 10 7 –10 9 years. The short-period perturbations of Jupiter's orbit play a determinant role in the creation of the stochasticity responsible for the escape.