DESTRUCTION OF BINARY MINOR PLANETS DURING NEPTUNE SCATTERING

2010/09/17 by Alex H. Parker, J. J. Kavelaars, JJ Kavelaars · 6 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph.EP

paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/2041-8205/722/2/l204

Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. 6 pages, 4 figures

arxiv created 2010/09/17 · openalex publication_date 2010/10/01 · arxiv updated 2015/05/20 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

The existence of extremely wide binaries in the low-inclination component of the Kuiper Belt provides a unique handle on the dynamical history of this population. Some popular frameworks of the formation of the Kuiper Belt suggest that planetesimals were moved there from lower semimajor axis orbits by scattering encounters with Neptune. We test the effects such events would have on binary systems and find that wide binaries are efficiently destroyed by the kinds of scattering events required to create the Kuiper Belt with this mechanism. This indicates that a binary-bearing component of the cold Kuiper Belt was emplaced through a gentler mechanism or was formed in situ.

Citations

• Neptune's capture of its moon Triton in a binary–planet gravitational encounter
• LÉVY FLIGHTS OF BINARY ORBITS DUE TO IMPULSIVE ENCOUNTERS
• Evidence for two populations of classical transneptunian objects: The strong inclination dependence of classical binaries
• The Dynamics of Known Centaurs

Cited by

• Kuiper belt: Formation and evolution
• The Absolute Magnitude Distribution of Kuiper Belt Objects
• The Evidence for Slow Migration of Neptune from the Inclination Distribution of Kuiper Belt Objects
• All planetesimals born near the Kuiper belt formed as binaries
• OBSERVED BINARY FRACTION SETS LIMITS ON THE EXTENT OF COLLISIONAL GRINDING IN THE KUIPER BELT
• Kuiper belt [wikipedia]