Outer Solar System Perihelion Gap Formation Through Interactions with a Hypothetical Distant Giant Planet
| Autor: | William J. Oldroyd, Chadwick A. Trujillo |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Physics
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP) Solar System education.field_of_study Population Giant planet Astronomy FOS: Physical sciences Astronomy and Astrophysics Space and Planetary Science Neptune Planets beyond Neptune Planet Trans-Neptunian object education Minor planet Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics |
| Popis: | Among the outer solar system minor planet orbits there is an observed gap in perihelion between roughly 50 and 65 au at eccentricities $e\gtrsim0.65$. Through a suite of observational simulations, we show that the gap arises from two separate populations, the Extreme Trans-Neptunian Objects (ETNOs; perihelia $q\gtrsim40$ au and semimajor axes $a\gtrsim150$ au) and the Inner Oort Cloud objects (IOCs; $q\gtrsim65$ au and $a\gtrsim250$ au), and is very unlikely to result from a realistic single, continuous distribution of objects. We also explore the connection between the perihelion gap and a hypothetical distant giant planet, often referred to as Planet 9 or Planet X, using dynamical simulations. Some simulations containing Planet X produce the ETNOs, the IOCs, and the perihelion gap from a simple Kuiper-Belt-like initial particle distribution over the age of the solar system. The gap forms as particles scattered to high eccentricity by Neptune are captured into secular resonances with Planet X where they cross the gap and oscillate in perihelion and eccentricity over hundreds of kiloyears. Many of these objects reach a minimum perihelia in their oscillation cycle within the IOC region increasing the mean residence time of the IOC region by a factor of approximately five over the gap region. Our findings imply that, in the presence of a massive external perturber, objects within the perihelion gap will be discovered, but that they will be only $\sim20$% as numerous as the nearby IOC population ($65$ au $\lesssim q \lesssim 100$ au). 20 pages, 12 figures |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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