Can Neptune's Distant Mean-Motion Resonances Constrain Undiscovered Planets in the Solar System? Lessons from a Case Study of the 9:1
Fuente:
arXiv
Enregistré dans:
| Auteurs principaux: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Publié: |
2024
|
| Sujets: | |
| Accès en ligne: | |
| Tags: |
Ajouter un tag
Pas de tags, Soyez le premier à ajouter un tag!
|
| _version_ | 1866916111915679744 |
|---|---|
| author | Porter, Matthew W. Gerdes, David W. Napier, Kevin J. Lin, Hsing Wen Adams, Fred C. |
| author_facet | Porter, Matthew W. Gerdes, David W. Napier, Kevin J. Lin, Hsing Wen Adams, Fred C. |
| contents | Recent observational surveys of the outer Solar System provide evidence that Neptune's distant $n$:1 mean-motion resonances may harbor relatively large reservoirs of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). In particular, the discovery of two securely classified 9:1 resonators, 2015 KE$_{172}$ and 2007 TC$_{434}$, by the Outer Solar System Origins Survey is consistent with a population of order $10^4$ such objects in the 9:1 resonance with absolute magnitude $H_r < 8.66$. This work investigates whether the long-term stability of such populations in Neptune's $n$:1 resonances can be used to constrain the existence of distant $5-10M_{\oplus}$ planets orbiting at hundreds of AU. The existence of such a planet has been proposed to explain a reported clustering in the orbits of highly eccentric "extreme" trans-Neptunian objects (eTNOs), although this hypothesis remains controversial. We engage in a focused computational case-study of the 9:1 resonance, generating synthetic populations and integrating them for 1 Gyr in the presence of 81 different test planets with various masses, perihelion distances, eccentricities, and inclinations. While none of the tested planets are incompatible with the existence of 9:1 resonators, our integrations shed light on the character of the interaction between such planets and nearby $n$:1 resonances, and we use this knowledge to construct a simple, heuristic method for determining whether or not a given planet could destabilize a given resonant population. We apply this method to the currently estimated properties of Planet 9, and find that a large primordial population in the 15:1 resonance (or beyond), if discovered in the future, could potentially constrain the existence of this planet. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2402_00266 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Can Neptune's Distant Mean-Motion Resonances Constrain Undiscovered Planets in the Solar System? Lessons from a Case Study of the 9:1 Porter, Matthew W. Gerdes, David W. Napier, Kevin J. Lin, Hsing Wen Adams, Fred C. Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Recent observational surveys of the outer Solar System provide evidence that Neptune's distant $n$:1 mean-motion resonances may harbor relatively large reservoirs of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). In particular, the discovery of two securely classified 9:1 resonators, 2015 KE$_{172}$ and 2007 TC$_{434}$, by the Outer Solar System Origins Survey is consistent with a population of order $10^4$ such objects in the 9:1 resonance with absolute magnitude $H_r < 8.66$. This work investigates whether the long-term stability of such populations in Neptune's $n$:1 resonances can be used to constrain the existence of distant $5-10M_{\oplus}$ planets orbiting at hundreds of AU. The existence of such a planet has been proposed to explain a reported clustering in the orbits of highly eccentric "extreme" trans-Neptunian objects (eTNOs), although this hypothesis remains controversial. We engage in a focused computational case-study of the 9:1 resonance, generating synthetic populations and integrating them for 1 Gyr in the presence of 81 different test planets with various masses, perihelion distances, eccentricities, and inclinations. While none of the tested planets are incompatible with the existence of 9:1 resonators, our integrations shed light on the character of the interaction between such planets and nearby $n$:1 resonances, and we use this knowledge to construct a simple, heuristic method for determining whether or not a given planet could destabilize a given resonant population. We apply this method to the currently estimated properties of Planet 9, and find that a large primordial population in the 15:1 resonance (or beyond), if discovered in the future, could potentially constrain the existence of this planet. |
| title | Can Neptune's Distant Mean-Motion Resonances Constrain Undiscovered Planets in the Solar System? Lessons from a Case Study of the 9:1 |
| topic | Earth and Planetary Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.00266 |