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Nathan Kaib 5/16/08

Origin of the Structure of the Kuiper Belt During a Dynamical Instability in the Orbits of Uranus and Neptune (“the Nice Model”). Levison, H., Morbidelli, A., VanLaerhoven, C., Gomes, R., & Tsiganis, K. Icarus, Accepted. Nathan Kaib 5/16/08. Outline. Description of Kuiper Belt

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Nathan Kaib 5/16/08

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  1. Origin of the Structure of the Kuiper Belt During a Dynamical Instability in the Orbits of Uranus and Neptune (“the Nice Model”) Levison, H., Morbidelli, A., VanLaerhoven, C., Gomes, R., & Tsiganis, K. Icarus, Accepted Nathan Kaib 5/16/08

  2. Outline • Description of Kuiper Belt • Giant Planet Migration and the Nice Model • Simulation Results • Conclusions

  3. Outline • Description of Kuiper Belt • Giant Planet Migration and the Nice Model • Simulation Results • Conclusions

  4. Properties of the Kuiper Belt • Missing Mass: KB only contains 0.01 – 0.1 Earth masses • Need 2-3 orders of magnitude more mass to accrete 100-1000 km bodies

  5. Properties of the Kuiper Belt • 10 – 50% of objects found in resonances with Neptune • Inclinations extend up to ~40o

  6. Properties of the Kuiper Belt • Contains large population of excited orbits that do not pass near planets now • - Scattered Disk

  7. Properties of the Kuiper Belt • Contains double peaked inclination distribution: • “Hot” population • “Cold” population Hot Cold

  8. Properties of the Kuiper Belt • Hot and Cold populations have different properties Hot Bluer, Larger Redder, Smaller Cold

  9. Properties of the Kuiper Belt • Cold, low e population has sharp cutoff at 1:2 resonance with Neptune

  10. Outline • Description of Kuiper Belt • Giant Planet Migration and the Nice Model • Simulation Results • Conclusions

  11. Planetesimal Scattering

  12. Outer Planet Migration N • Nep, Ura, and Sat much more likely to scatter bodies in than eject them • Jupiter’s energy kicks are powerful enough to eject most bodies J U S

  13. Outer Planet Migration Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn migrate outwards and Jupiter moves in to conserve angular momentum

  14. Current Planet Configuration 1:2 MMR Saturn currently is ~1.3 AU beyond the 1:2 MMR with Jupiter

  15. The Nice Model 1:2 MMR ~35 AU If there were 10’s of Earth masses of material beyond Neptune originally, then Saturn must have crossed the 1:2 MMR with Jupiter

  16. Saturn crossing 1:2 MMR causes orbits of U and N to become chaotic • Dynamical friction due to scattering damps re-circurlarizes orbits

  17. Nice Model Can Explain… • Cataclysmic Late Heavy Bombardment 3.8 Gyrs ago • High inclinations of Jovian Trojans • Existence of cometary bodies in main asteroid belt • Significant non-zero inclinations and eccentricities of giant planets • Irregular satellite populations of giant planets

  18. Nice Model Can Explain… • Cataclysmic Late Heavy Bombardment 3.8 Gyrs ago • High inclinations of Jovian Trojans • Existence of cometary bodies in main asteroid belt • Significant non-zero inclinations and eccentricities of giant planets • Irregular satellite populations of giant planets

  19. Nice Model Can Explain… • Cataclysmic Late Heavy Bombardment 3.8 Gyrs ago • High inclinations of Jovian Trojans • Existence of cometary bodies in main asteroid belt • Significant non-zero inclinations and eccentricities of giant planets • Irregular satellite populations of giant planets

  20. Nice Model Can Explain… • Cataclysmic Late Heavy Bombardment 3.8 Gyrs ago • High inclinations of Jovian Trojans • Existence of cometary bodies in main asteroid belt • Significant non-zero inclinations and eccentricities of giant planets • Irregular satellite populations of giant planets

  21. Nice Model Can Explain… • Cataclysmic Late Heavy Bombardment 3.8 Gyrs ago • High inclinations of Jovian Trojans • Existence of cometary bodies in main asteroid belt • Significant non-zero inclinations and eccentricities of giant planets • Irregular satellite populations of giant planets

  22. Outline • Description of Kuiper Belt • Giant Planet Migration and the Nice Model • Simulation Results • Conclusions

  23. Simulations • Start planets at last scattering between Uranus and Neptune • Surround Neptune’s orbit with torus of 60,000 test particles extending to 34 AU • Vary Neptune’s starting place and e-damping in sims

  24. Simulations

  25. Observed Simulated

  26. Results Summary

  27. Results Summary

  28. Results Summary

  29. Observed Simulated

  30. Results Summary

  31. Results Summary

  32. Observed Simulated

  33. Results Summary

  34. Results Summary

  35. Results Summary

  36. Results Summary

  37. Hot Cold

  38. Results Summary

  39. Results Summary

  40. Observed Simulated

  41. Results Summary

  42. Conclusions • Nice Model reproduces more properties of Kuiper Belt than any other previous scenario • Eccentricities of cold belt too high by a factor of 2 • May be due to unaccounted for physics such as collisional damping

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