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Inference of Hierarchical Triples from Non-Keplerian Motion of TNO Binaries

Presentation #414.04 in the session Centaurs and KBOs: Observational Surveys (iPosters).

Published onOct 20, 2022
Inference of Hierarchical Triples from Non-Keplerian Motion of TNO Binaries

Many Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) are known to be binaries and are typically discovered by direct imaging with the Hubble Space Telescope. However, there is a huge range of masses and separations for unknown components that cannot be resolved by HST or investigated through lightcurves. The best way to identify these components is through the deviations of the binary from Keplerian motion, similar to how many exoplanets have been discovered entirely through their perturbations on known planets. We use MultiMoon — a Bayesian inference tool for TNOs — to analyze a variety of systems using a generic quadrupole model. Three systems that show non-Keplerian effects require quadrupoles so large that the best explanation is the presence of an unknown close-in component. Using MultiMoon, we can fit models to the TNO binary that explicitly include an unseen component and preliminary results show that this is the best fit to the data in some cases. Such systems are similar to the Lempo triple system if the innermost binary had not been barely resolved. The discovery of more TNO triples will provide valuable insight into the formation and evolution of these objects.

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