On the Detachment of Massive Trans-Neptunian Objects Jacob Fleisig, Alexander Zderic & Ann-Marie Madigan* CU Boulder *annmarie.madigan@colorado.edu Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
What are detached Trans-Neptunian Objects? Sun Neptune TNO Detached TNO * Not to scale
Current Theories Planet 9 (Batygin & Brown, 2016) 2. Collective Gravity of Trans-Neptunian Objects (Fleisig, Zderic & Madigan, in prep.) Schematic of Planet Nine’s hypothesized orbit Image Credit: R. Hurt/JPL-Caltech
Collective Gravity Mechanism * Top-down view Not to scale
Collective Gravity Mechanism * Top-down view Not to scale
Collective Gravity Mechanism
Result: We can explain detached objects with Collective Gravity. Predictions: 1. More massive bodies become more detached. Tentative evidence for this (Santoz Sans et al., 2012). 2. Observed detached objects are just the tip of the iceberg. 3. Collective Gravity generates periodic comet showers.
On the Detachment of Massive Trans-Neptunian Objects Funding/Resources: NASA Solar System Workings SUMMIT Supercomputer, CU Boulder Jacob Fleisig, Alexander Zderic & Ann-Marie Madigan* CU Boulder *annmarie.madigan@colorado.edu Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech