Effect of perturbations on orbital density using Eulerian orbit dynamics

The behavior of object density after a fragmentation has been analyzed using “Eulerian orbit dynamics”, our term for the propagation of densities, rather than points. We previously pioneered a technique that propagates the spatial density of orbital objects exactly. In the present work, we show the effects of the J2 gravitational perturbation on the density evolution from a low-earth orbit fragmentation. The fractional change in density due to the perturbation averages on the order of a tenth of a percent.