The Solar System Beyond Neptune

by Barucci, M. Antonietta; Boehnhardt, Hermann; Cruikshank, Dale P.; Morbidelli, Alessandro; Dotson, Renee (CON)

• ISBN13: 9780816527557
• ISBN10: 0816527555
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-04-01
• Publisher: Univ of Arizona Pr

Summary

A new frontier in our solar system opened with the discovery of the Kuiper Belt and the extensive population of icy bodies orbiting beyond Neptune. Today the study of all of these bodies, collectively referred to as trans-Neptunian objects, reveals them to be frozen time capsules from the earliest epochs of solar system formation. This new volume in the Space Science Series, with one hundred contributing authors, offers the most detailed and up-to-date picture of our solar system’s farthest frontier. Our understanding of trans-Neptunian objects is rapidly evolving and currently constitutes one of the most active research fields in planetary sciences. The Solar System Beyond Neptune brings the reader to the forefront of our current understanding and points the way to further advancement in the field, making it an indispensable resource for researchers and students in planetary science.

Table of Contents

Scientific Organizing Committee and Acknowledgment of Reviewers
Introduction
The Solar System Beyond Neptune: Overview and Perspectives	p. 3
The Early Development of Ideas Concerning the Transneptunian Region	p. 11
Transneptunian Orbit Computation	p. 25
Transneptunian Object Populations
Nomenclature in the Outer Solar System	p. 43
The Orbital and Spatial Distribution of the Kuiper Belt	p. 59
Size Distribution of Multikilometer Transneptunian Objects	p. 71
Bulk Properties
Color Properties and Trends of the Transneptunian Objects	p. 91
Colors of Centaurs	p. 105
Surface Properties of Kuiper Belt Objects and Centaurs from Photometry and Polarimetry	p. 115
Photometric Lightcurves of Transneptunian Objects and Centaurs: Rotations, Shapes, and Densities	p. 129
Composition and Surface Properties of Transneptunian Objects and Centaurs	p. 143
Physical Properties of Kuiper Belt and Centaur Objects: Constraints from the Spitzer Space Telescope	p. 161
Transneptunian Object Taxonomy	p. 181
Physical Processes
Physical Effects of Collisions in the Kuiper Belt	p. 195
Structure and Evolution of Kuiper Belt Objects and Dwarf Planets	p. 213
The Structure of Kuiper Belt Bodies: Link with Comets	p. 243
Formation and Evolution
The Scattered Disk: Origins, Dynamics, and End States	p. 259
The Dynamical Structure of the Kuiper Belt and Its Primordial Origin	p. 275
Formation and Collisional Evolution of Kuiper Belt Objects	p. 293
The Role of the Galaxy in the Dynamical Evolution of Transneptunian Objects	p. 315
Individualities and Peculiarities
The Largest Kuiper Belt Objects	p. 335
Binaries in the Kuiper Belt	p. 345
On the Atmospheres of Objects in the Kuiper Belt	p. 365
Links With Other Solar System Populations
De Troianis: The Trojans in the Planetary System	p. 383
Kuiper Belt Objects in the Planetary Region: The Jupiter-Family Comets	p. 397
Irregular Satellites of the Giant Planets	p. 411
Structure of the Kuiper Belt Dust Disk	p. 425
Boundaries and Connections to Other Stellar Systems
The Heliopause Boundary of the Solar System	p. 443
Extrasolar Kuiper Belt Dust Disks	p. 465
Laboratory
Laboratory Data on Ices, Refractory Carbonaceous Materials, and Minerals Relevant to Transneptunian Objects and Centaurs	p. 483
Laboratory Studies of the Chemistry of Transneptunian Object Surface Materials	p. 507
Meteorites from the Outer Solar System?	p. 525
Perspectives
The Kuiper Belt Explored by Serendipitous Stellar Occultations	p. 545
New Horizons: NASA's Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission	p. 557
Future Surveys of the Kuiper Belt	p. 573
Color Section following page	p. 585
Index	p. 587
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