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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 April 2016
We consider a small stellar system ejected from the interior of a bigger one. The two systems are represented by unequal Plummer models and energy changes in them are derived analytically under the impulse approximation. These are used to obtain the conditions for the Roche instability of the systems. For systems greatly differing in dimension, the density ratio of the two systems is a useful parameter for specifying the Roche limit for the disruption of the smaller system and the mass ratio is a meaningful parameter for specifying the Roche limit for the disruption of the bigger system. Density ratios and mass ratios at Roche limit are given for both systems for various scale-length ratios of the two systems.