Tidal Evolution and Dynamics: Timescales of Force-Deformation Laws in Celestial Bodies.

by Prof. Clodoaldo Ragazzo (Universidade de São Paulo)

Wednesday 5 Feb 2025, 14:00 → 15:00 Portugal

Sala de Conferências (Departamento de Física FCTUC)

Tidal deformations generate small forces and torques that perturb the motion of celestial bodies. Despite their small magnitude, these tidal effects can influence motion over timescales ranging from hours to billions of years. Particularly significant are the effects of energy dissipation, which typically become noticeable on timescales from thousands to billions of years. In this talk, we show how the timescales of these phenomena are intimately connected to the physical properties of the body, which can be broadly categorized as fluid, solid in a viscous regime, or solid in an elastic regime. We present the force-deformation laws, or rheology, for each case and explore the reasons behind the vastly different tidal timescales. Finally, we discuss approaches for analyzing the dynamics of systems that encompass such a wide range of timescales.