EXTREME KUIPER BELT OBJECTS (KBOS) HAVE AN ORBITAL DISTRIBUTION UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE KNOWN; THIS HAS LED TO SPECULATION ABOUT A 'PLANET NINE' AN UNDISCOVERED>10 EARTH MASS PLANET IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM. WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY SHOWN THAT SELF-GRAVITY IN DISKS OF KBO-LIKE OBJECTS NATURALLY AND SPONTANEOUSLY DEVELOP ORBITAL DISTRIBUTIONS SIMILAR TO WHAT'S FOUND IN THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM. WE PROPOSE A DETAILED SUITE OF ANALYTIC CALCULATIONS AND N-BODY SIMULATIONS TO SPECIFICALLY MODEL THE KUIPER BELT WITH SELFGRAVITY. THIS DIRECTLY ADDRESSES ORBITAL DYNAMICS AND THE EVOLUTION AND STABILITY OF SMALL PLANETS ALL OF WHICH FALL UNDER THE ROSES SOLAR SYSTEM WORKINGS (C.3) PROGRAM.
$569,963FY2020National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA
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