1. On the Detachment of Massive Trans-Neptunian Objects
Jacob Fleisig, Alexander Zderic & Ann-Marie Madigan*
CU Boulder
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

2. What are detached Trans-Neptunian Objects?
Sun
Neptune
TNO
Detached TNO
* Not to scale

3. 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

4. Collective Gravity Mechanism
* Top-down view
Not to scale

5. Collective Gravity Mechanism
* Top-down view
Not to scale

6. Collective Gravity Mechanism

7. 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.

8. 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
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech