OSSOS. XXI. Collision Probabilities in the Edgeworth–Kuiper Belt
- National Research Council of Canada, Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics, 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7 (Canada)
- B612 Asteroid Institute, 20 Sunnyside Avenue, Suite 427, Mill Valley, CA 94941 (United States)
- Institut UTINAM, CNRS-UMR 6213, Université Bourgogne Franche Comté BP 1615, F-25010 Besançon Cedex (France)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, 6224 Agricultural Road, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (Canada)
- Campion College and the Department of Physics, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2 (Canada)
- University of Canterbury, Christchurch (New Zealand)
- Minor Planet Center, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
- Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Taiwan (China)
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona: Tucson, AZ (United States)
Here, we present results on the intrinsic collision probabilities, P {sub I}, and range of collision speeds, V {sub I}, as a function of the heliocentric distance, r, in the trans-Neptunian region. The collision speed is one of the parameters that serves as a proxy for a collisional outcome (e.g., disruption and scattering of fragments, or formation of a crater, as both processes are related to the impact energy). We utilize an improved and debiased model of the trans-Neptunian object (TNO) region from the “Outer Solar System Origins Survey” (OSSOS). It provides a well-defined model of TNO orbital distribution, based on multiple opposition observations of more than 1000 bodies. We compute collisional probabilities for the OSSOS models of the main classical, resonant, detached+outer, and scattering TNO populations. The intrinsic collision probabilities and collision speeds are computed using Öpik’s approach, as revised and modified by Wetherill for noncircular and inclined orbits. The calculations are carried out for each of the dynamical TNO groups, allowing for inter-population collisions as well as collisions within each TNO population, resulting in 28 combinations in total. Our results indicate that collisions in the trans-Neptunian region are possible over a wide range in (r, V {sub I}) phase space. Although collisions are calculated to happen within r ∼ 20–200 au and V {sub I} ∼ 0.1 km s{sup −1} to as high as V {sub I} ∼ 9 km s{sup −1}, most of the collisions are likely to happen at low relative velocities V {sub I} < 1 km s{sup −1} and are dominated by the main classical belt.
- OSTI ID:
- 23159199
- Journal Information:
- The Astronomical Journal (Online), Journal Name: The Astronomical Journal (Online) Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 161; ISSN 1538-3881
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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