ABSTRACT
The Yarkovsky effect was introduced in the planetary dynamics by E. J. Opik and V. V. Radzievskii as a possible transport mechanism for meteorites. This chapter discusses all possible applications of the Yarkovsky effect in solar system dynamics. The problem of the Yarkovsky force estimation naturally splits into two steps: determination of the surface temperature distribution, and evaluation of the thermal radiation recoil force. The case of Vysheslavia indicated for the first time that Yarkovsky-driven long-term processes may be occurring in real asteroid families. Numerical integration of hundreds of Yarkovsky evolving orbits may yield some statistical properties of their interaction with gravitational resonances that were not included so far in the collisional modelling. The present evidence of the Yarkovsky effect is mostly based on investigation of the statistical properties of large samples of objects or on qualitative arguments.
