Comparison among the Keplerian-orbit-diversity criteria in major-meteor-shower separation

Recently, two new criteria of diversity of Keplerian orbits have been suggested, that by Valsecchi, Jopek, and Froeschle (VJF) in 1999, and orbital-momentum-based (OMB) criterion by Neslusan in 2001. In the present paper, the behaviors of the classic Southworth-Hawkins (SH) criterion from 1963 and both new criteria are compared when these are used in the separation of several major meteor showers from the photographic IAU MDC database. The cumulative number on threshold-D dependence method, based on work by Sekanina from the beginning of 1970s is utilized to perform an optimal separation. The quality of separation is evaluated with the help of "background number-density test" (described here in more detail). No essential difference among the particular criteria was found. A relatively worse result is obtained using the SH criterion for Perseids. The separation method does not work with the VJF and OMB criteria for the Alpha Capricornids, and with OMB criterion for the Northern as well as Southern Delta-Aquarids. No criterion is sufficient for the optimal separation of Geminids. If the best criterion has to be chosen, the VJF one seems to be a little more appropriate than the others. (Author)