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OSSOS: XXVI. Population Estimates for Theoretically Stable Centaurs Between Uranus and Neptune

Presentation #203.03 in the session Asteroid and Comet Dynamics Posters.

Published onJul 01, 2023
OSSOS: XXVI. Population Estimates for Theoretically Stable Centaurs Between Uranus and Neptune

We calculate the upper bounds of the estimated population on theoretically stable Centaur orbits between Uranus and Neptune. These small bodies are on low-eccentricity, low-inclination orbits in two specific bands of semi-major axis, centred at ~24.6~au and ~25.6~au. They exhibit unusually long Gyr-stable lifetimes in previously published numerical integrations, orders of magnitude longer than expected of a typical Centaur population. Despite the increased breadth and depth of recent solar system surveys, no such objects have been found. Using the Outer Solar System Origins Survey (OSSOS) survey simulator to calculate the detection efficiency for these objects in an ensemble of fully characterised surveys, we determine that a population of 72 stable Centaurs with Hr≤q10~mag (95%~confidence upper limit) could remain undetected. The upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) will be able to detect this entire intrinsic population due to its complete coverage of the ecliptic plane. If detected, these objects will be interesting dynamically-accessible mission targets — especially as comparison of the stable Centaur orbital phase space to the outcomes of several modern planetary migration simulations suggests that these objects could be close to primordial in nature.

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