The Resonance Hopping Effect in the Neptune-planet Nine System

The observed physical clustering of the orbits of small bodies in the distant Kuiper Belt (TNOs) has recently prompted the prediction of an additional planet in the outer solar system. Since the initial posing of the hypothesis, the effects of Planet Nine on the dynamics of the main cluster of TNOs-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2020-12, Vol.132 (1018), p.1-13
Main Authors: Khain, T., Becker, J. C., Adams, F. C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astrodynamics
Brown Dwarfs, Planets, and Planetary Systems (Including the Solar System)
Kuiper Belt
Numerical simulations
Outer solar system
Planets
Pluto
Resonance
Solar system planets
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Summary:The observed physical clustering of the orbits of small bodies in the distant Kuiper Belt (TNOs) has recently prompted the prediction of an additional planet in the outer solar system. Since the initial posing of the hypothesis, the effects of Planet Nine on the dynamics of the main cluster of TNOs-the objects anti-aligned with its orbit-have been well-studied. In particular, numerical simulations have revealed a fascinating phenomenon, referred to as "resonance hopping," in which these objects abruptly transition between different mean-motion commensurabilities with Planet Nine. In this work, we explore this effect in greater detail, with the goal of understanding what mechanism prompts the hopping events to occur. In the process, we elucidate the often underestimated role of Neptune scattering interactions, which leads to diffusion in the semimajor axes of these distant TNOs. In addition, we demonstrate that although some resonant interactions with Planet Nine do occur, the anti-aligned objects are able to survive without the resonances, confirming that the dynamics of the TNOs are predominantly driven by secular, rather than resonant, interactions with Planet Nine.
ISSN:0004-6280
1538-3873
1538-3873
DOI:10.1088/1538-3873/abbd8a