Numerical estimation of the capture ability of Neptunian mean motion resonances

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Li, Hailiang, Zhou, Li-Yong, Zhang, Xiaoping
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Li, Hailiang
Zhou, Li-Yong
Zhang, Xiaoping
author_facet Li, Hailiang
Zhou, Li-Yong
Zhang, Xiaoping
contents Resonant populations of trans-Neptunian objects serve as crucial dynamical archives for unraveling the early migratory history of the Solar System. A quantitative assessment of the capture efficiency into various mean motion resonances (MMRs) during migration is essential for understanding the origins of these populations, constraining migration parameters, and reconstructing of the primordial planetesimal disk. Using numerical simulations, this study systematically investigates the capture capability of exterior MMRs during Neptune's outward migration in a planar model. For a specific p:q MMR, the small bodies can be captured only when their eccentricities surpass a certain threshold, which increases with faster migration rates, greater distances of MMRs, and higher resonance orders. On the other hand, as long as a particle's eccentricity is suitable, its capture efficiency shows little dependence on the migration rate; instead, it mainly depends on the p value and heliocentric distance, decaying exponentially as either parameter increases. Based on our simulation results, we derive for the first time a simple empirical expression to calculate eccentricity threshold and the capture efficiency. This research provides a systematic quantitative framework for understanding capture into Neptunian MMRs during migration. Future integrations of more comprehensive observational data will facilitate a more precise reconstruction of the Solar System's early dynamical evolution.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_09876
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Numerical estimation of the capture ability of Neptunian mean motion resonances
Li, Hailiang
Zhou, Li-Yong
Zhang, Xiaoping
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Resonant populations of trans-Neptunian objects serve as crucial dynamical archives for unraveling the early migratory history of the Solar System. A quantitative assessment of the capture efficiency into various mean motion resonances (MMRs) during migration is essential for understanding the origins of these populations, constraining migration parameters, and reconstructing of the primordial planetesimal disk. Using numerical simulations, this study systematically investigates the capture capability of exterior MMRs during Neptune's outward migration in a planar model. For a specific p:q MMR, the small bodies can be captured only when their eccentricities surpass a certain threshold, which increases with faster migration rates, greater distances of MMRs, and higher resonance orders. On the other hand, as long as a particle's eccentricity is suitable, its capture efficiency shows little dependence on the migration rate; instead, it mainly depends on the p value and heliocentric distance, decaying exponentially as either parameter increases. Based on our simulation results, we derive for the first time a simple empirical expression to calculate eccentricity threshold and the capture efficiency. This research provides a systematic quantitative framework for understanding capture into Neptunian MMRs during migration. Future integrations of more comprehensive observational data will facilitate a more precise reconstruction of the Solar System's early dynamical evolution.
title Numerical estimation of the capture ability of Neptunian mean motion resonances
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.09876