Numerical Modeling of 26Al-Induced Radioactive Melting of Asteroids Considering Accretion

We have developed a computer code that solves numerically the 1D heat transport equation for small planetary bodies consisting of silicate material and heated by 26Al. At the same time the bodiesʹ accretion (with a size from 1 km—or smaller—to several hundred kilometers) is taken into account as radial growth. We find that the consideration of accretion is inevitable as it affects the thermal evolution resulting from heating by radioisotopes. Significant changes in thermal behavior are shown to occur in comparison with calculations that assume instantaneous accretion.