The secular evolution of comet nucleus rotation states is studied. The dynamical model assumes that the nucleus inertia ellipsoid is axially symmetric and prolate. The outgassing torques, acting on the surface, are modeled using standard cometary activity formulae. The general rotational equations of motion are derived and separately averaged over the fast rotational dynamics terms and the comet orbit. Special cases where the averaging assumptions cannot be applied are evaluated separately. The modification of the comet orbit due to comet outgassing is neglected. Resulting from this analysis is a system of secular differential equations that describe the dynamics of the comet nucleus angular momentum and rotation state. We find that the qualitative secular evolution of the rotation state is controlled by a single parameter that combines parameters related to the comet orbit and parameters related to the nucleus surface geometry and activity.

Theoretical and applied problems of mechanics