Other
Scientific paper
Jan 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011aas...21730602p&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #217, #306.02; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 43, 2011
Other
Scientific paper
As with binaries in other astrophysical settings, Trans-Neptunian binaries (TNBs) provide insight into the physical structure of their component bodies and the dynamical environment they are embedded in. A subset of the near-equal mass TNBs have very wide orbits, which are difficult to create and very sensitive to perturbation. We performed an astrometric monitoring campaign for the largest existing sample of wide-separation, long-period TNBs for an extended period, and archival data has allowed us to sample baselines of up to a decade for some objects. We present the first-ever mutual orbit fits for each system, more than tripling the sample of ultra-wide TNBs with characterized orbits. We find that these systems are extremely sensitive to collisional disruption, and provide a handle on the small object (R 1km) population in the Kuiper Belt, for which there currently exists little observational constraint. In addition, due to the ease by which tidal impulses can disrupt these binaries, we find that a binary-bearing component of the Cold Classical Kuiper Belt was never subjected to a period of Neptune close encounters, and may have been formed in-situ.
Kavelaars John J.
Parker Alex
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