Numerical Investigations of Kuiper Belt Binaries

Abstract

Observations of the Kuiper Belt indicate that a larger than expected percentage of KBO's (approximately 8 out of 500) are in binary pairs. The formation and survival of such objects presents a conundrum [1]. Two competing theories have been postulated to try to solve this problem. One entails the physical collision of bodies [2] while the other utilizes dynamical friction or a third body to dissipate excess momentum and energy from the system [3]. Although in general known binaries tend to differ significantly in mass, such as seen in the Earth-Moon or asteroid binary systems [4], Kuiper binaries discovered to date tend to instead be of similar size [5, 6]. This paper investigates the stability, development and lifetimes for Kuiper Belt binaries by tracking their orbital dynamics and subsequent evolution. Section two details the numerical model while Section three discusses the initial conditions. Finally, in Section four the results are discussed with Section five containing the conclusions.