Is There an Earth-like Planet in the Distant Kuiper Belt?

The orbits of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) can indicate the existence of an undiscovered planet in the outer solar system. Here we used N -body computer simulations to investigate the effects of a hypothetical Kuiper Belt planet (KBP) on the orbital structure of TNOs in the distant Kuiper Belt bey...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astronomical journal Vol. 166; no. 3; pp. 118 - 137
Main Authors: Lykawka, Patryk Sofia, Ito, Takashi
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Madison The American Astronomical Society 01.09.2023
IOP Publishing
Subjects:
Astronomy
Detached objects
Earth
Gravitational effects
Gravity effects
Kuiper belt
Neptune
Orbital resonances (celestial mechanics)
Orbits
Outer solar system
Perihelions
Perturbation
Planets
Resonant Kuiper belt objects
Scattered disk objects
Solar system
Solar system planets
Terrestrial planets
Trans-Neptunian objects
ISSN:0004-6256, 1538-3881
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The orbits of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) can indicate the existence of an undiscovered planet in the outer solar system. Here we used N -body computer simulations to investigate the effects of a hypothetical Kuiper Belt planet (KBP) on the orbital structure of TNOs in the distant Kuiper Belt beyond ∼50 au. We used observations to constrain model results, including the well-characterized Outer Solar System Origins Survey (OSSOS). We determined that an Earth-like planet ( m ∼ 1.5–3 M ⊕ ) located on a distant (semimajor axis a ∼ 250–500 au, perihelion q ∼ 200 au) and inclined ( i ∼ 30°) orbit can explain three fundamental properties of the distant Kuiper Belt: a prominent population of TNOs with orbits beyond Neptune’s gravitational influence (i.e., detached objects with q > 40 au), a significant population of high- i objects ( i > 45°), and the existence of some extreme objects with peculiar orbits (e.g., Sedna). Furthermore, the proposed KBP is compatible with the existence of identified gigayear-stable TNOs in the 2:1, 5:2, 3:1, 4:1, 5:1, and 6:1 Neptunian mean motion resonances. These stable populations are often neglected in other studies. We predict the existence of an Earth-like planet and several TNOs on peculiar orbits in the outer solar system, which can serve as observationally testable signatures of the putative planet’s perturbations.
Bibliography:AAS43969
The Solar System, Exoplanets, and Astrobiology
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ISSN:0004-6256
1538-3881
DOI:10.3847/1538-3881/aceaf0