The Small Numbers of Large Kuiper Belt Objects

2013/10/25 by Megan E. Schwamb, Michael E. Brown, Wesley C. Fraser · 1 voice · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Brightness #Function (biology) #Luminosity #Luminosity function #Primary (astronomy) #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph.EP

paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0004-6256/147/1/2

Accepted to AJ

arxiv created 2013/10/25 · arxiv published 2013/10/25 · arxiv updated 2013/10/25 · openalex publication_date 2013/11/21 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

We explore the brightness distribution of the largest and brightest (m(R)<22) Kuiper belt objects (KBOs). We construct a luminosity function of the dynamically excited or hot Kuiper belt (orbits with inclinations > 5 degrees) from the very brightest to m(R)=23. We find for m(R)< 23, a single slope appears to describe the luminosity function. We estimate ~12 KBOs brighter than m(R)~19.5 are present in the Kuiper belt today. With 9 bodies already discovered this suggests that the inventory of bright KBOs is nearly complete.

Citations

• On the Size Dependence of the Inclination Distribution of the Main Kuiper Belt
• COLOR-INCLINATION RELATION OF THE CLASSICAL KUIPER BELT OBJECTS
• Towards initial mass functions for asteroids and Kuiper Belt Objects
• Accretion in the Early Outer Solar System
• Evidence for two populations of classical transneptunian objects: The strong inclination dependence of classical binaries
• The Color Distribution in the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt
• The Size Distribution of Kuiper Belt Objects
• The Deep Ecliptic Survey: A Search for Kuiper Belt Objects and Centaurs. II. Dynamical Classification, the Kuiper Belt Plane, and the Core Population
• The Size Distribution of Trans-Neptunian Bodies

Cited by

• Interpreting the densities of the Kuiper belt's dwarf planets
• THE ABSOLUTE MAGNITUDE DISTRIBUTION OF KUIPER BELT OBJECTS

Discussions

• RT @megschwamb: My new paper "The Small Numbers of Large Kuiper Belt Objects" with @plutokiller @wtfastro http://arxiv.org/abs/1310.7049 [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]

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• Kuiper Belt searches from the Palomar 5-m telescope