  We numerically estimate the semi-major axis chaotic diffusion of the Vesta
family asteroids induced by close encounters with 11 massive main belt
asteroids : (1) Ceres, (2) Pallas, (3) Juno, (4) Vesta, (7) Iris, (10) Hygiea,
(15) Eunomia, (19) Fortuna, (324) Bamberga, (532) Herculina, (704) Interamnia.
We find that most of the diffusion is due to Ceres and Vesta. By extrapolating
our results, we are able to constrain the global effect of close encounters
with all the main belt asteroids. A comparison of this drift estimate with the
one expected for the Yarkovsky effect shows that for asteroids whose diameter
is larger than about 40 km, close encounters dominate the Yarkovsky effect.
Overall, our findings confirm the standard scenario for the history of the
Vesta family.
