Kuiper Belt Formation via Grainy Planetary Migration
Fuente:
arXiv
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866915806319738880 |
|---|---|
| author | Lykawka, Patryk Sofia Horner, Jonathan Bernardinelli, Pedro |
| author_facet | Lykawka, Patryk Sofia Horner, Jonathan Bernardinelli, Pedro |
| contents | We used N-body simulations to model the 4.5 Gyr orbital evolution of the early Kuiper Belt, incorporating a massive protoplanetary disk, the four giant planets, and 1500 primordial Pluto-class bodies ("Plutos") that drove Neptune's grainy migration. The analysis of 67 simulated systems revealed key insights: (1) All systems featured the primary trans-Neptunian object (TNO) populations: cold/hot classical, resonant, scattered, and detached; (2) Captures into stable resonant orbits favored close Neptunian mean motion resonances (MMRs; e.g., 3:2, 2:1), while distant ones beyond 50 au (e.g., 5:2 MMR) were underpopulated; (3) Optimal matches to observed resonant fractions and the classical region (including the kernel) arose from models considering a jumping Neptune, self-gravitating Plutos, and an initial disk edge at 45-47 au; (4) Models including primordial scattered disks boosted distant MMR captures but overproduced scattered objects; (5) All models were inefficient at producing the detached (q > 40 au) and high-i (i > 45 deg) populations and failed to populate observed niches, such as distant detached (a > 245 au), low-i detached (i < 20 deg), low-i scattered with q = 37-40 au (i < 20 deg), and extreme (q > 50 au or i > 50 deg) TNOs; (6) Grainy migration effects peaked early, fading as the Plutos were removed; (7) With a few primordial Plutos surviving inside 50 au, the initial population was estimated at ~150-500 to explain Pluto's solitary status. Although our four-giant-planet models reasonably replicate the trans-Neptunian structure within 50 au, they fail to account for detached, high-i, and extreme TNOs. Additional processes (e.g., a distant undiscovered planet) are required for a comprehensive outer solar system framework. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_16999 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Kuiper Belt Formation via Grainy Planetary Migration Lykawka, Patryk Sofia Horner, Jonathan Bernardinelli, Pedro Earth and Planetary Astrophysics We used N-body simulations to model the 4.5 Gyr orbital evolution of the early Kuiper Belt, incorporating a massive protoplanetary disk, the four giant planets, and 1500 primordial Pluto-class bodies ("Plutos") that drove Neptune's grainy migration. The analysis of 67 simulated systems revealed key insights: (1) All systems featured the primary trans-Neptunian object (TNO) populations: cold/hot classical, resonant, scattered, and detached; (2) Captures into stable resonant orbits favored close Neptunian mean motion resonances (MMRs; e.g., 3:2, 2:1), while distant ones beyond 50 au (e.g., 5:2 MMR) were underpopulated; (3) Optimal matches to observed resonant fractions and the classical region (including the kernel) arose from models considering a jumping Neptune, self-gravitating Plutos, and an initial disk edge at 45-47 au; (4) Models including primordial scattered disks boosted distant MMR captures but overproduced scattered objects; (5) All models were inefficient at producing the detached (q > 40 au) and high-i (i > 45 deg) populations and failed to populate observed niches, such as distant detached (a > 245 au), low-i detached (i < 20 deg), low-i scattered with q = 37-40 au (i < 20 deg), and extreme (q > 50 au or i > 50 deg) TNOs; (6) Grainy migration effects peaked early, fading as the Plutos were removed; (7) With a few primordial Plutos surviving inside 50 au, the initial population was estimated at ~150-500 to explain Pluto's solitary status. Although our four-giant-planet models reasonably replicate the trans-Neptunian structure within 50 au, they fail to account for detached, high-i, and extreme TNOs. Additional processes (e.g., a distant undiscovered planet) are required for a comprehensive outer solar system framework. |
| title | Kuiper Belt Formation via Grainy Planetary Migration |
| topic | Earth and Planetary Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.16999 |