Origin of Resonant TNOs: Evidence for an Ancient Excited Kuiper Belt of 50AU Radius

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6040 Origin And Evolution, 6224 Kuiper Belt Objects, 6255 Neptune, 6285 Trans-Neptunian Objects

Scientific paper

Trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) are believed to be the remnants of planet accretion beyond Neptune, thus offering important clues about the origin and evolution of the solar system. We investigated TNOs' dynamical properties in the trans-Neptunian belt (or Edgeworth-Kuiper belt) by performing computer simulations using long-arc orbits (468 TNOs) plus several clones, totaling thousands of particles. We identified 145 TNOs trapped in resonance with Neptune. Occupied resonances sorted by distance from the Sun are: 1:1 (Neptune Trojans), 5:4, 4:3, 11:8, 3:2, 18:11, 5:3, 12:7, 19:11, 7:4, 9:5, 11:6, and 2:1. Kozai resonant TNOs are found inside the 3:2, 5:3, 7:4 and 2:1 resonances. Detailed general features for the resonant populations are also given (i.e., libration amplitude angles, libration centers, Kozai libration amplitudes, etc.). In the scattered disk (>48.5AU), we examined resonance occupation and long-term behavior of 67 TNOs by integrating their orbits plus several clones for 4Gyr. Twenty TNOs are found locked in the 9:4, 16:7, 7:3, 12:5, 5:2, 8:3, and 3:1 resonances. Currently, no Kozai resonant TNOs are found in the latter resonances. We also investigated the origin of long-term 9:4, 5:2, and 8:3 resonant TNOs (median ~4Gyr) using static (i.e., giant planets at their current positions) and planetary migration dynamical models. All the simulations were evolved to 4Gyr and compared with observations. We find that the Gyr-resident populations of 9:4, 5:2, and 8:3 resonant TNOs are well explained through adiabatic resonance capture by a migrating Neptune over a dynamically excited ancient Kuiper belt. Therefore, this suggests that a primordial planetesimal disk of at least 45-50AU radius suffered a dynamical perturbation leading to 0.1-0.3 or greater eccentricities and a range of inclinations up to ~20 degrees during early stages of the solar system's existence, before planetary migration.

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