Modeling the Dynamical Behavior of Near-Earth Dust Using Simulated Fraunhofer Line Observations

Understanding how asteroidal and cometary debris evolves and travels through the inner Solar System is critical for predicting impact risks and maintaining the safety of orbital infrastructure. Particles of all sizes and sources pose significant hazards to satellites operating in near-Earth and cislunar space. As such, modeling and analyzing how small asteroidal and cometary particles evolve over time under the influence of gravitational and non-gravitational perturbations is key to ascertaining this threat. Building upon previous Studies (e.g., Reynolds et al., 2004), we investigate and model the dynamical behavior of debris particles within the inner Solar System for comparison to observations of doppler shifted Fraunhofer lines, as observed by the Wisconsin Hydrogen Alpha Mapper (WHAM) instrument in Chile. To achieve this, we will create simulated observations of how different distributions of dust particles would shift the solar Fraunhofer absorption lines as the sunlight interacts with the dust. We first focus on determining how each specific orbital parameter will affect the line velocity shift, allowing us to inform the inputs into realistic population models that we then compare directly with the WHAM data. This approach allows us to put constraints on the orbital parameters and velocities of the dust in near-Earth space for better assessment of the risks posed to space craft and satellites in this region. These findings support planetary defense initiatives, mission planning, and the long-term sustainability of human and robotic activity beyond Earth.