In astronomy, a resonant trans-Neptunian object is a trans-Neptunian object (TNO) in mean-motion orbital resonance with Neptune. The orbital periods of the resonant objects are in a simple integer relations with the period of Neptune, e.g. 1:2, 2:3, etc. Resonant TNOs can be either part of the main Kuiper belt population, or the more distant scattered disc population.[1]

Distribution

Distribution of trans-Neptunian objects. Objects occupying the stronger resonances are in red.

The diagram illustrates the distribution of the known trans-Neptunian objects. Resonant objects are plotted in red. Orbital resonances with Neptune are marked with vertical bars: 1:1 marks the position of Neptune's orbit and its trojans; 2:3 marks the orbit of Pluto and plutinos; and 1:2, 2:5, etc. mark a number of smaller families. The designation 2:3 or 3:2 both refer to the same resonance for TNOs. There is no ambiguity, because TNOs have, by definition, periods longer than Neptune's. The usage depends on the author and the field of research.

Origin

Detailed analytical and numerical studies of Neptune's resonances have shown that the objects must have a relatively precise range of energies.[2][3] If the object's semi-major axis is outside these narrow ranges, the orbit becomes chaotic, with widely changing orbital elements. As TNOs were discovered, more than 10% were found to be in 2:3 resonances, far from a random distribution. It is now believed that the objects have been collected from wider distances by sweeping resonances during the migration of Neptune.[4] Well before the discovery of the first TNO, it was suggested that interaction between giant planets and a massive disk of small particles would, via angular-momentum transfer, make Jupiter migrate inwards and make Saturn, Uranus, and especially Neptune migrate outwards. During this relatively short period of time, Neptune's resonances would be sweeping the space, trapping objects on initially varying heliocentric orbits into resonance.[5]

Known populations

1:1 resonance (Neptune trojans, period ~164.8 years)

A few objects have been discovered following orbits with semi-major axes similar to that of Neptune, near the Sun–Neptune Lagrangian points. These Neptune trojans, termed by analogy to the (Jupiter) Trojan asteroids, are in 1:1 resonance with Neptune. 28 are known as of February 2020.[6][7] Only 5 objects are near Neptune's L5 Lagrangian point, and the identification of one of these is insecure; the others are located in Neptune's L4 region.[8][7] In addition, (316179) 2010 EN65 is a so-called "jumping trojan", currently transitioning from librating around L4 to librating around L5, via the L3 region.[9]

Leading Trojans at L4
Following Trojans at L5

2:3 resonance ("plutinos", period ~247.94 years)

The motions of Orcus (in grey) and Pluto (in red) in a rotating frame with a period equal to Neptune's orbital period (holding Neptune stationary)
Pluto and its moons (top) compared in size, albedo and colour with Orcus and Ixion

The 2:3 resonance at 39.4 AU is by far the dominant category among the resonant objects. As of February 2020, it includes 383 confirmed and 99 possible member bodies (such as (175113) 2004 PF115).[6] Of these 383 confirmed plutinos, 338 have their orbits secured in simulations run by the Deep Ecliptic Survey.[7] The objects following orbits in this resonance are named plutinos after Pluto, the first such body discovered. Large, numbered plutinos include:

3:5 resonance (period ~275 years)

As of February 2020, 47 objects are confirmed to be in a 3:5 orbital resonance with Neptune at 42.5 AU. Among the numbered objects there are:[7][6]

4:7 resonance (period ~290 years)

Another population of objects is orbiting the Sun at 43.7 AU (in the midst of the classical objects). The objects are rather small (with two exceptions, H>6) and most of them follow orbits close to the ecliptic.[7] As of February 2020, 55 4:7-resonant objects have had their orbits secured by the Deep Ecliptic Survey.[6][7] Objects with well established orbits include:[7]

1:2 resonance ("twotinos", period ~330 years)

This resonance at 47.8 AU is often considered to be the outer edge of the Kuiper belt, and the objects in this resonance are sometimes referred to as twotinos. Twotinos have inclinations less than 15 degrees and generally moderate eccentricities between 0.1 and 0.3.[10] An unknown number of the 2:1 resonants likely did not originate in a planetesimal disk that was swept by the resonance during Neptune's migration, but were captured when they had already been scattered.[11]

There are far fewer objects in this resonance than plutinos. Johnston's Archive counts 99 while simulations by the Deep Ecliptic Survey have confirmed 73 as of February 2020.[6][7] Long-term orbital integration shows that the 1:2 resonance is less stable than the 2:3 resonance; only 15% of the objects in 1:2 resonance were found to survive 4 Gyr as compared with 28% of the plutinos.[10] Consequently, it might be that twotinos were originally as numerous as plutinos, but their population has dropped significantly below that of plutinos since.[10]

Objects with well established orbits include (in order of the absolute magnitude):[6]

2:5 resonance (period ~410 years)

There are 57 confirmed 2:5-resonant objects as of February 2020.[6][7]

Objects with well established orbits at 55.4 AU include:

1:3 resonance (period ~500 years)

Johnston's Archive counts 14 1:3-resonant objects as of February 2020 at 62.8 AU.[6] A dozen of these are secure according to the Deep Ecliptic Survey:[7]

Other resonances

(523794) 2015 RR245's orbit librating in a 2:9 resonance with Neptune

As of February 2020, the following higher-order resonances are confirmed for a limited number of objects:[7]

RatioSemimajor
AU		Period
years		CountExamples
4:535~20511 confirmed(432949) 2012 HH2, (127871) 2003 FC128, (308460) 2005 SC278, (79969) 1999 CP133, (427581) 2003 QB92, (131697) 2001 XH255
3:436.5~22030 confirmed(143685) 2003 SS317, (15836) 1995 DA2
5:841.1~2641 confirmed(533398) 2014 GA54
7:1243.1~2831 confirmed2015 RP278
5:944.5~2956 confirmed(437915) 2002 GD32
6:1145~3034 confirmed (523725) 2014 MC70 and (505477) 2013 UM15. (182294) 2001 KU76 is also likely.
5:1151~3631 confirmed2013 RM109
4:952~3703 confirmed(42301) 2001 UR163, (182397) 2001 QW297
3:753~38510 confirmed(495297) 2013 TJ159, (181867) 1999 CV118, (131696) 2001 XT254, (95625) 2002 GX32, (183964) 2004 DJ71, (500882) 2013 JN64
5:1254~3956 confirmed(79978) 1999 CC158, (119878) 2002 CY224
3:857~4403 confirmed(82075) 2000 YW134, (542258) 2013 AP183, 2014 UE228
4:1159~4531 confirmed(500879) 2013 JH64
4:1366~5371 confirmed2009 DJ143
3:1067~5492 confirmed225088 Gonggong
2:770~58010 confirmed471143 Dziewanna, (160148) 2001 KV76
3:1172~6062 confirmed2014 UV224, 2013 AR183
1:476~6607 confirmed2003 LA7, 2011 UP411
5:2178~7061 confirmed(574372) 2010 JO179[12]
2:980~7302 confirmed(523794) 2015 RR245, 2003 UA414
1:588~8252 confirmed2007 FN51, 2011 BP170
2:1194~9093 confirmed2005 RP43, 2011 HO60
1:699~10002 confirmed(528381) 2008 ST291, 2011 WJ157
1:9129~15002 confirmed2007 TC434, 2015 KE172

Haumea

The libration of Haumea's nominal orbit in a rotating frame, with Neptune stationary (see 2 Pallas for an example of non-librating)
The libration angle of Haumea's weak 7:12 resonance with Neptune, , over the next 5 million years

Haumea is thought to be in an intermittent 7:12 orbital resonance with Neptune.[13] Its ascending node precesses with a period of about 4.6 million years, and the resonance is broken twice per precession cycle, or every 2.3 million years, only to return a hundred thousand years or so later.[14] Marc Buie qualifies it as non-resonant.[15]

Coincidental versus true resonances

One of the concerns is that weak resonances may exist and would be difficult to prove due to the current lack of accuracy in the orbits of these distant objects. Many objects have orbital periods of more than 300 years and most have only been observed over a relatively short observation arc of a few years. Due to their great distance and slow movement against background stars, it may be decades before many of these distant orbits are determined well enough to confidently confirm whether a resonance is true or merely coincidental. A true resonance will smoothly oscillate while a coincidental near resonance will circulate. (See Toward a formal definition)

Simulations by Emel'yanenko and Kiseleva in 2007 show that (131696) 2001 XT254 is librating in a 3:7 resonance with Neptune.[16] This libration can be stable for less than 100 million to billions of years.[16]

The orbital period of 2001 XT254 around the 3:7 (2.333) resonance of Neptune.

Emel'yanenko and Kiseleva also show that (48639) 1995 TL8 appears to have less than a 1% probability of being in a 3:7 resonance with Neptune, but it does execute circulations near this resonance.[16]

The orbital period of 1995 TL8 missing the 3:7 (2.333) resonance of Neptune.

Toward a formal definition

The classes of TNO have no universally agreed precise definitions, the boundaries are often unclear and the notion of resonance is not defined precisely. The Deep Ecliptic Survey introduced formally defined dynamical classes based on long-term forward integration of orbits under the combined perturbations from all four giant planets. (see also formal definition of classical KBO)

In general, the mean-motion resonance may involve not only orbital periods of the form

where p and q are small integers, λ and λN are respectively the mean longitudes of the object and Neptune, but can also involve the longitude of the perihelion and the longitudes of the nodes (see orbital resonance, for elementary examples)

An object is resonant if for some small integers (p,q,n,m,r,s), the argument (angle) defined below is librating (i.e. is bounded):[17]

where the are the longitudes of perihelia and the are the longitudes of the ascending nodes, for Neptune (with subscripts "N") and the resonant object (no subscripts).

The term libration denotes here periodic oscillation of the angle around some value and is opposed to circulation where the angle can take all values from 0 to 360°. For example, in the case of Pluto, the resonant angle librates around 180° with an amplitude of around 86.6° degrees, i.e. the angle changes periodically from 93.4° to 266.6°.[18]

All new plutinos discovered during the Deep Ecliptic Survey proved to be of the type

similar to Pluto's mean-motion resonance.

More generally, this 2:3 resonance is an example of the resonances p:(p+1) (for example 1:2, 2:3, 3:4) that have proved to lead to stable orbits.[4] Their resonant angle is

In this case, the importance of the resonant angle can be understood by noting that when the object is at perihelion, i.e. , then

i.e. gives a measure of the distance of the object's perihelion from Neptune.[4] The object is protected from the perturbation by keeping its perihelion far from Neptune provided librates around an angle far from 0°.

Classification methods

As the orbital elements are known with a limited precision, the uncertainties may lead to false positives (i.e. classification as resonant of an orbit which is not). A recent approach[19] considers not only the current best-fit orbit but also two additional orbits corresponding to the uncertainties of the observational data. In simple terms, the algorithm determines whether the object would be still classified as resonant if its actual orbit differed from the best fit orbit, as the result of the errors in the observations. The three orbits are numerically integrated over a period of 10 million years. If all three orbits remain resonant (i.e. the argument of the resonance is librating, see formal definition), the classification as a resonant object is considered secure.[19] If only two out of the three orbits are librating the object is classified as probably in resonance. Finally, if only one orbit passes the test, the vicinity of the resonance is noted to encourage further observations to improve the data.[19] The two extreme values of the semi-major axis used in the algorithm are determined to correspond to uncertainties of the data of at most 3 standard deviations. Such range of semi-axis values should, with a number of assumptions, reduce the probability that the actual orbit is beyond this range to less than 0.3%. The method is applicable to objects with observations spanning at least 3 oppositions.[19]

References

  1. ↑ Hahn, Joseph M.; Malhotra, Renu (November 2005). "Neptune's Migration into a Stirred-Up Kuiper Belt: A Detailed Comparison of Simulations to Observations". The Astronomical Journal. 130 (5): 2392–2414. arXiv:astro-ph/0507319. Bibcode:2005AJ....130.2392H. doi:10.1086/452638. S2CID 14153557.
  2. ↑ Malhotra, Renu (January 1996). "The Phase Space Structure Near Neptune Resonances in the Kuiper Belt" (PDF). The Astronomical Journal (preprint). 111: 504. arXiv:astro-ph/9509141. Bibcode:1996AJ....111..504M. doi:10.1086/117802. hdl:2060/19970021298. S2CID 41919451. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 July 2018 – via the NASA Technical Report Server.
  3. ↑ Chiang, E. I.; Jordan, A. B. (December 2002). "On the Plutinos and Twotinos of the Kuiper Belt". The Astronomical Journal. 124 (6): 3430–3444. arXiv:astro-ph/0210440. Bibcode:2002AJ....124.3430C. doi:10.1086/344605. S2CID 13928812.
  4. 1 2 3 Malhotra, Renu (July 1995). "The Origin of Pluto's Orbit: Implications for the Solar System Beyond Neptune". The Astronomical Journal. 110 (1): 420–429. arXiv:astro-ph/9504036. Bibcode:1995AJ....110..420M. doi:10.1086/117532. hdl:2060/19970005091. S2CID 10622344 – via the Internet Archive.
  5. ↑ Malhotra, Renu; Duncan, Martin J.; Levison, Harold F. (May 2000). "Dynamics of the Kuiper Belt" (PDF). In Mannings, Vincent; Boss, Alan P.; Russell, Sara S. (eds.). Protostars and Planets IV (preprint). Space Science Series. University of Arizona Press. p. 1231. arXiv:astro-ph/9901155. Bibcode:2000prpl.conf.....M. ISBN 978-0816520596. LCCN 99050922. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 August 2017 – via the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Johnston's Archive (27 December 2019). "List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects (and other outer solar system objects)".
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Buie, M. W. "The Deep Ecliptic Survey Object Classifications". Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  8. ↑ "List Of Neptune Trojans". Minor Planet Center. 10 July 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  9. ↑ de la Fuente Marcos, C.; de la Fuente Marcos, R. (November 2012). "Four temporary Neptune co-orbitals: (148975) 2001 XA255, (310071) 2010 KR59, (316179) 2010 EN65, and 2012 GX17". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 547: 7. arXiv:1210.3466. Bibcode:2012A&A...547L...2D. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201220377. S2CID 118622987. (rotating frame)
  10. 1 2 3 M. Tiscareno; R. Malhotra (2009). "Chaotic Diffusion of Resonant Kuiper Belt Objects". The Astronomical Journal. 194 (3): 827–837. arXiv:0807.2835. Bibcode:2009AJ....138..827T. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/138/3/827. S2CID 1764121.
  11. ↑ Lykawka, Patryk Sofia & Mukai, Tadashi (July 2007). "Dynamical classification of trans-neptunian objects: Probing their origin, evolution, and interrelation". Icarus. 189 (1): 213–232. Bibcode:2007Icar..189..213L. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2007.01.001.
  12. ↑ Matthew J. Holman; Matthew J. Payne; Wesley Fraser; Pedro Lacerda; Michele T. Bannister; Michael Lackner; Ying-Tung Chen; Hsing Wen Lin; Kenneth W. Smith; Rosita Kokotanekova; David Young; K. Chambers; S. Chastel; L. Denneau; A. Fitzsimmons; H. Flewelling; Tommy Grav; M. Huber; Nick Induni; Rolf-Peter Kudritzki; Alex Krolewski; R. Jedicke; N. Kaiser; E. Lilly; E. Magnier; Zachary Mark; K. J. Meech; M. Micheli; Daniel Murray; Alex Parker; Pavlos Protopapas; Darin Ragozzine; Peter Veres; R. Wainscoat; C. Waters; R. Weryk (2018). "A Dwarf Planet Class Object in the 21:5 Resonance with Neptune". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 855 (1). L6 1 March 2018. arXiv:1709.05427. Bibcode:2018ApJ...855L...6H. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aaadb3.
  13. ↑ D. Ragozzine; M. E. Brown (2007-09-04). "Candidate Members and Age Estimate of the Family of Kuiper Belt Object 2003 EL61". The Astronomical Journal. 134 (6): 2160–2167. arXiv:0709.0328. Bibcode:2007AJ....134.2160R. doi:10.1086/522334. S2CID 8387493.
  14. ↑ Marc W. Buie (2008-06-25). "Orbit Fit and Astrometric record for 136108". Southwest Research Institute (Space Science Department). Archived from the original on 2011-05-18. Retrieved 2008-10-02.
  15. ↑ "Orbit and Astrometry for 136108". www.boulder.swri.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  16. 1 2 3 Emel'yanenko, V. V; Kiseleva, E. L. (2008). "Resonant motion of trans-Neptunian objects in high-eccentricity orbits". Astronomy Letters. 34 (4): 271–279. Bibcode:2008AstL...34..271E. doi:10.1134/S1063773708040075. S2CID 122634598.
  17. ↑ J. L. Elliot, S. D. Kern, K. B. Clancy, A. A. S. Gulbis, R. L. Millis, M. W. Buie, L. H. Wasserman, E. I. Chiang, A. B. Jordan, D. E. Trilling, and K. J. Meech The Deep Ecliptic Survey: A Search for Kuiper Belt Objects and Centaurs. II. Dynamical Classification, the Kuiper Belt Plane, and the Core Population. The Astronomical Journal, 129 (2006), pp. preprint Archived 2006-08-23 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ Mark Buie (12 November 2019), Orbit Fit and Astrometric record for 134340, archived from the original on 11 November 2019
  19. 1 2 3 4 B. Gladman; B. Marsden; C. VanLaerhoven (2008). Nomenclature in the Outer Solar System. Bibcode:2008ssbn.book...43G. ISBN 9780816527557. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)

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