Close Trans-Neptunian Object Passages as a Driver of the Origin and Evolution of Ultrawide Kuiper Belt Binaries

Abstract

Within the dynamically cold low-inclination portion of the Classical Kuiper Belt, there exists a population of weakly bound binary systems with a number of unusual properties, most notable of which is their extremely wide orbital separations—beyond 7% of their Hill radii. The stability and evolution of these ultrawide Trans-Neptunian binaries (TNBs) have, in the past, been studied extensively under the assumption that the primary evolving mechanisms are interactions between the binary components and impacting Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs). Here, we instead study their evolution as driven by the gravitational perturbations of close passing but nonimpacting TNOs. By simulating these passages, we show that the aggregate effects of encounters over billions of years have a significant effect on Kuiper Belt binary evolution. Such processes can lead to tight binaries widening significantly over time, approaching and sometimes surpassing the separation of the widest known TNBs. We also find that the eccentricity and inclination distributions of observed ultrawide TNBs can be sampled from such widened binaries. While we are unable to produce enough wide binaries to explain their abundance, the orbital properties of ones we do produce are consistent with known wide binaries.

Keywords

• Trans-Neptunian objects
• Kuiper belt