Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Dec 2000
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000aas...197.3103a&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, 197th AAS Meeting, #31.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 32, p.1447
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
In 1998 and 1999, we surveyed for Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) in 6 fields of the ecliptic (total sky area 1.3 deg2) to limiting magnitudes between R=24.9 and R=25.9. This is deep enough to detect KBOs of diameter ≳ 160 km at a distance of 65 AU. We detected 24 objects. None of these objects, however, is beyond 53 AU. Our survey places a 95% CL upper limit of Σ < 5 deg-2 on the surface density of KBOs larger than ~160 km beyond 55 AU. This can be compared to the surface density of ~6 deg-2 of >=160 km KBOs at distances 30--50 AU determined from this survey and previous shallower surveys. The mean volume density of D>160 km KBOs in the 55--65 AU region is, at >95% confidence, less than the mean density in the 30--50 AU region, and at most \twothirds\ of the mean density from 40--50 AU. Thus, a substantial density increase beyond 50 AU is excluded in this model-independent estimate. We present further survey results, including a luminosity function and KBO radial distribution model. This Kuiper Belt survey is funded by grants from NASA Planetary Astronomy and the National Science Foundation.
Allen Rhiannon Lynne
Bernstein Gary M.
Malhotra Renu
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