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PreprintCC BY 4.0arXiv

On the Secular Evolution of Inclinations Among the Classical Belt TNOs

  • Dallin Spencer
  • Darin Ragozzine
  • Kat Volk
  • Renu Malhotra
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Abstract

Proper orbital elements have been used in diverse ways to study the dynamical architecture of transneptunian objects (TNOs), providing insights into Solar System evolution and migration theories. In this paper, we present the numerically-computed proper elements of all known TNOs. We then compare their distribution with the distribution of proper elements of a large synthetic sample generated to study the secular behavior of TNOs in the Classical belt region in an effort to better understand certain observed features, particularly features appearing in the inclination distribution of these TNOs. Our analysis indicates the presence of an inclination-dependent instability in the Classical belt from 42 < a < 45 au, which we find is caused by the g+s-g8-s8 = 0 secular resonance. The coincidence of this instability with the previously-noted inclination boundary of the Cold Classical belt near proper inclination of Ifree = 4 (deg) could suggest that the primordial Classical belt may have originally been more continuous between 4 < Ifree (deg) < 6 than we observe today. However, our analysis to account for the impact of secular resonant instabilities finds a best-estimate of the inclination width of the primordial Cold Classical belt near 1.5(deg), well below 4(deg), and slightly thinner than previous works have suggested. We conclude that the inclination boundary of the Cold Classical belt is not set directly by secular resonance or instability, and that this belt is generally unaltered by resonance or instability since the end of planetary migration.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@misc{spencer2026secular,
  title = {{On the Secular Evolution of Inclinations Among the Classical Belt TNOs}},
  author = {Dallin Spencer and Darin Ragozzine and Kat Volk and Renu Malhotra},
  howpublished = {arXiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.33080},
  eprint = {2609.33080},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.33080},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - UNPB
TI  - On the Secular Evolution of Inclinations Among the Classical Belt TNOs
AU  - Dallin Spencer
AU  - Darin Ragozzine
AU  - Kat Volk
AU  - Renu Malhotra
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/27
PB  - arXiv
DO  - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.33080
UR  - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.33080
AB  - Proper orbital elements have been used in diverse ways to study the dynamical architecture of transneptunian objects (TNOs), providing insights into Solar System evolution and migration theories. In this paper, we present the numerically-computed proper elements of all known TNOs. We then compare their distribution with the distribution of proper elements of a large synthetic sample generated to study the secular behavior of TNOs in the Classical belt region in an effort to better understand certain observed features, particularly features appearing in the inclination distribution of these TNOs. Our analysis indicates the presence of an inclination-dependent instability in the Classical belt from 42 < a < 45 au, which we find is caused by the g+s-g8-s8 = 0 secular resonance. The coincidence of this instability with the previously-noted inclination boundary of the Cold Classical belt near proper inclination of Ifree = 4 (deg) could suggest that the primordial Classical belt may have originally been more continuous between 4 < Ifree (deg) < 6 than we observe today. However, our analysis to account for the impact of secular resonant instabilities finds a best-estimate of the inclination width of the primordial Cold Classical belt near 1.5(deg), well below 4(deg), and slightly thinner than previous works have suggested. We conclude that the inclination boundary of the Cold Classical belt is not set directly by secular resonance or instability, and that this belt is generally unaltered by resonance or instability since the end of planetary migration.
ER  -