Extended Data Fig. 2: Results illustrating the time evolution of Arrokoth analogues for different dust layer properties at a fixed point in time.
From: Sublimation as an effective mechanism for flattened lobes of (486958) Arrokoth
For easier visual comparison we plot only extracted cross sections aligned at the body axes. The blue outline belongs to Arrokoth (SHAPE-ORIG), shown for a reference. The other colored outlines [red, green, magenta, gray] are for cases with different dust layers, each 5 cm in thickness but varying monomer particle sizes, Ra, from 10−6 to 10−3 meters (as labeled in the figure). The curves show results extracted at the same time instant of about 3.1 Myr, which is when the scenario Ra = 10−6 m (red curve) reaches the approximate volume of Arrokoth. On the other hand, the layer constructed from the largest monomers (grey curve) conducts little heat to the ice and provides the weakest mass loss. Under these conditions, it would take another 4.4~Myr to reach the same volume as SHAPE-ORIG.
