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Cited by 289Astro and Planetary ScienceStellar, planetary, and galactic studiesSpace Satellite Systems and Control

THE CANADA-FRANCE ECLIPTIC PLANE SURVEY—FULL DATA RELEASE: THE ORBITAL STRUCTURE OF THE KUIPER BELT

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Petit, J.-M., Kavelaars, J. J., Gladman, B. J., Jones, R. L., Parker, J. Wm., Van Laerhoven, C., Nicholson, P., Mars, G. +9 more·2011·The Astronomical Journal
DOI 10.1088/0004-6256/142/4/131
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Abstract

We report the orbital distribution of the trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) discovered during the Canada–France Ecliptic Plane Survey (CFEPS), whose discovery phase ran from early 2003 until early 2007. The follow-up observations started just after the first discoveries and extended until late 2009. We obtained characterized observations of 321 deg 2 of sky to depths in the range g ∼ 23.5–24.4 AB mag. We provide a database of 169 TNOs with high-precision dynamical classification and known discovery efficiency. Using this database, we find that the classical belt is a complex region with sub-structures that go beyond the usual splitting of inner (interior to 3:2 mean-motion resonance [MMR]), main (between 3:2 and 2:1 MMR), and outer (exterior to 2:1 MMR). The main classical belt ( a = 40–47 AU) needs to be modeled with at least three components: the "hot" component with a wide inclination distribution and two "cold" components (stirred and kernel) with much narrower inclination distributions. The hot component must have a significantly shallower absolute magnitude ( H g ) distribution than the other two components. With 95% confidence, there are 8000 +1800 −1600 objects in the main belt with H g ⩽ 8.0, of which 50% are from the hot component, 40% from the stirred component, and 10% from the kernel; the hot component's fraction drops rapidly with increasing H g . Because of this, the apparent population fractions depend on the depth and ecliptic latitude of a trans-Neptunian survey. The stirred and kernel components are limited to only a portion of the main belt, while we find that the hot component is consistent with a smooth extension throughout the inner, main, and outer regions of the classical belt; in fact, the inner and outer belts are consistent with containing only hot-component objects. The H g ⩽ 8.0 TNO population estimates are 400 for the inner belt and 10,000 for the outer belt to within a factor of two (95% confidence). We show how the CFEPS Survey Simulator can be used to compare a cosmogonic model for the orbital element distribution to the real Kuiper Belt.

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  • Most wide-field surveys of the Kuiper belt have not been sensitive to sky motions smaller than about 1 arcsecond per hour.

    “While most wide-field surveys of the Kuiper belt have not been sensitive to sky motions smaller than about 1 arcsecond per hour (i.e., Millis et al. 2002;Brown 2008;Petit et al. 2011)”

    From Observational constraints on the orbit and location of Planet Nine in the outer solar system (2016) · cites this paper as Petit et al. 2011

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  1. [5]5. Bowell, E., Hapke, B., Domingue, D., et al. 1989, in Asteroids II, ed. R. P. Binzel, T. Gehrels, & M. S. Matthews (Tucson, AZ: Univ. Arizona Press), 524
  2. [65]65. Petit, J.-M., Kavelaars, J. J., Gladman, B., & Loredo, T. 2008, in The Solar System Beyond Neptune, ed. M. A. Barucci, H. Boehnhardt, D. P. Cruikshank, & A. Morbidelli (Tucson, AZ: Univ. Arizona Press), 71

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Authors
Petit, J.-M., Kavelaars, J. J., Gladman, B. J., Jones, R. L., Parker, J. W., Van Laerhoven, C., Nicholson, P., Mars, G., Rousselot, P., Mousis, O., Marsden, B., Bieryla, A., Taylor, M., Ashby, M. L. N., Benavidez, P., Campo Bagatin, A., & Bernabeu, G.
Affiliations
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
  • Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics (CA)
  • University of British Columbia (CA)
  • Southwest Research Institute (US)
  • Cornell University (US)
  • Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur (FR)
  • Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US)
  • University of Victoria (CA)
ORCID
Venue
The Astronomical Journal
Publisher
American Astronomical Society
Published
2011-09-15
Volume
142
Issue
4
Pages
131
ISSN
  • 0004-6256 (ISSN-L)
  • 1538-3881
DOI
10.1088/0004-6256/142/4/131
OpenAlex
W2170052387
Cited by
289
References
84
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 16
FWCI
7.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Astronomical Journal (publishedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • HAL (submittedVersion)
  • NPARC (submittedVersion)
  • RUA, Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Alicante (Universidad de Alicante) (submittedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University)
Funders
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astro and Planetary Science
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Space Satellite Systems and Control
Keywords
trans-Neptunian objects, orbital structure, mean motion resonance, 3:2 resonance, 2:1 resonance, orbital inclination distribution, absolute magnitude distribution, population estimates, high-temperature components, orbital element distribution, dynamical classification

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