Where are the missing Kuiper Belt binaries?

Abstract

In this letter, we call attention to a gap in binaries in the Kuiper belt in the mass range between $\approx$10$^{19}$-10$^{20}$ kg, with a corresponding dearth in binaries between 4th and 5th absolute magnitude $H$. The low-mass end of the gap is consistent with the truncation of the cold classical population at 400 km, as suggested by the OSSOS survey, and predicted by simulations of planetesimal formation by streaming instability. The distribution of magnitudes for all KBOs is continuous, which means that many objects exist in the gap, but the binaries in this range have either been disrupted, or the companions are too close to the primary and/or too dim to be detected with the current generation of observational instruments. At the high-mass side of the gap, the objects have small satellites at small separations, and we find a trend that as mass decreases, the ratio of primary radius to secondary semimajor increases. If this trend continues into the gap, non-Keplerian effects should make mass determination more challenging.