The Deep Ecliptic Survey: A Search for Kuiper Belt Objects and Centaurs. II. Dynamical Classification, the Kuiper Belt Plane, and the Core Population

Elliot, J. L.; Kern, S. D.; Clancy, K. B.; Gulbis, A. A. S.; Millis, R. L.; Buie, M. W.; Wasserman, L. H.; Chiang, E. I.; Jordan, A. B.; Trilling, D. E.; Meech, K. J.

doi:10.1086/427395

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The Deep Ecliptic Survey: A Search for Kuiper Belt Objects and Centaurs. II. Dynamical Classification, the Kuiper Belt Plane, and the Core Population

Elliot, J. L. et al. (2005)

Published: Feb 1, 2005
DOI: 10.1086/427395

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At a GlanceAI

Deep Ecliptic Survey II: a 10 Myr integration-based classification scheme for KBOs and the hot/cold inclination split.

SummaryAI

Covering 550 square degrees through 2003, the Deep Ecliptic Survey reports 320 designated KBOs and Centaurs and proposes a dynamical classification (Resonant, Centaur, Scattered-Near, Scattered-Extended, Classical) based on 10 Myr orbital integrations. Of 196 classifiable objects, 96 are Classical and 54 Resonant. The paper fits the Kuiper Belt plane, presents a bias-removal method, and confirms a concentrated cold "core" (FWHM about 4.6 degrees) inside a broad hot "halo". No clear boundary between Classical and Scattered classes is found.

Method SnapshotAI

Survey discoveries, 10 Myr numerical integrations for classification, bias-corrected magnitude and inclination distributions.

BackgroundAI

Mean-motion resonances and TNO dynamical classes at a basic level.

In Collections

Astronomy33 papers

The trans-Neptunian region: surveys, populations and dynamics

The region beyond Neptune holds leftovers of planet formation, and its orbital structure is a record of how the giant planets migrated. This collection goes from the systematic surveys that built the modern census (Deep Ecliptic Survey, CFEPS, OSSOS, the Dark Energy Survey search) through dynamical classification of thousands of objects and population estimates for Neptune's resonances, to resonance sticking, the scattered disk, the coupling between Kozai (ZLK) dynamics and mean-motion resonances, and the distant clustered orbits. It ends with what the next surveys (DEEP, CLASSY, LSST) are designed to answer. Terms: * TNO: trans-Neptunian object * MMR: mean-motion resonance * ZLK(R): von Zeipel-Lidov-Kozai (resonance) * DES: two different projects share this acronym here, the Deep Ecliptic Survey (2002, 2005) and the Dark Energy Survey (2022)

Evgeny Smirnov