The TAOS project: Results from seven years of survey data

Z. W. Zhang; M. J. Lehner; J. H. Wang; C. Y. Wen; S. Y. Wang; S. K. King; Á P. Granados; C. Alcock; T. Axelrod; F. B. Bianco; Y. I. Byun; W. P. Chen; N. K. Coehlo; K. H. Cook; I. De Pater; D. W. Kim; T. Lee; J. J. Lissauer; S. L. Marshall; P. Protopapas; J. A. Rice; M. E. Schwamb

doi:10.1088/0004-6256/146/1/14

The TAOS project: Results from seven years of survey data

Z. W. Zhang, M. J. Lehner, J. H. Wang, C. Y. Wen, S. Y. Wang, S. K. King, Á P. Granados, C. Alcock, T. Axelrod, F. B. Bianco, Y. I. Byun, W. P. Chen, N. K. Coehlo, K. H. Cook, I. De Pater, D. W. Kim, T. Lee, J. J. Lissauer, S. L. Marshall, P. ProtopapasJ. A. Rice, M. E. Schwamb

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Abstract

The Taiwanese-American Occultation Survey (TAOS) aims to detect serendipitous occultations of stars by small (∼1 km diameter) objects in the Kuiper Belt and beyond. Such events are very rare (<10^-3 events per star per year) and short in duration (∼200 ms), so many stars must be monitored at a high readout cadence. TAOS monitors typically ∼500 stars simultaneously at a 5 Hz readout cadence with four telescopes located at Lulin Observatory in central Taiwan. In this paper, we report the results of the search for small Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) in seven years of data. No occultation events were found, resulting in a 95% c.l. upper limit on the slope of the faint end of the KBO size distribution of q = 3.34-3.82, depending on the surface density at the break in the size distribution at a diameter of about 90 km.

Original language	English
Article number	14
Journal	Astronomical Journal
Volume	146
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/146/1/14
Publication status	Published - 2013 Jul

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

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10.1088/0004-6256/146/1/14

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Zhang, Z. W., Lehner, M. J., Wang, J. H., Wen, C. Y., Wang, S. Y., King, S. K., Granados, Á. P., Alcock, C., Axelrod, T., Bianco, F. B., Byun, Y. I., Chen, W. P., Coehlo, N. K., Cook, K. H., De Pater, I., Kim, D. W., Lee, T., Lissauer, J. J., Marshall, S. L., ... Schwamb, M. E. (2013). The TAOS project: Results from seven years of survey data. Astronomical Journal, 146(1), Article 14. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/146/1/14

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title = "The TAOS project: Results from seven years of survey data",

abstract = "The Taiwanese-American Occultation Survey (TAOS) aims to detect serendipitous occultations of stars by small (∼1 km diameter) objects in the Kuiper Belt and beyond. Such events are very rare (<10-3 events per star per year) and short in duration (∼200 ms), so many stars must be monitored at a high readout cadence. TAOS monitors typically ∼500 stars simultaneously at a 5 Hz readout cadence with four telescopes located at Lulin Observatory in central Taiwan. In this paper, we report the results of the search for small Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) in seven years of data. No occultation events were found, resulting in a 95% c.l. upper limit on the slope of the faint end of the KBO size distribution of q = 3.34-3.82, depending on the surface density at the break in the size distribution at a diameter of about 90 km.",

keywords = "Kuiper Belt: general, comets: general, occultations, planets and satellites: formation",

author = "Zhang, {Z. W.} and Lehner, {M. J.} and Wang, {J. H.} and Wen, {C. Y.} and Wang, {S. Y.} and King, {S. K.} and Granados, {{\'A} P.} and C. Alcock and T. Axelrod and Bianco, {F. B.} and Byun, {Y. I.} and Chen, {W. P.} and Coehlo, {N. K.} and Cook, {K. H.} and {De Pater}, I. and Kim, {D. W.} and T. Lee and Lissauer, {J. J.} and Marshall, {S. L.} and P. Protopapas and Rice, {J. A.} and Schwamb, {M. E.}",

year = "2013",

month = jul,

doi = "10.1088/0004-6256/146/1/14",

language = "English",

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journal = "Astronomical Journal",

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Zhang, ZW, Lehner, MJ, Wang, JH, Wen, CY, Wang, SY, King, SK, Granados, ÁP, Alcock, C, Axelrod, T, Bianco, FB, Byun, YI, Chen, WP, Coehlo, NK, Cook, KH, De Pater, I, Kim, DW, Lee, T, Lissauer, JJ, Marshall, SL, Protopapas, P, Rice, JA & Schwamb, ME 2013, 'The TAOS project: Results from seven years of survey data', Astronomical Journal, vol. 146, no. 1, 14. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/146/1/14

TY - JOUR

T1 - The TAOS project

T2 - Results from seven years of survey data

AU - Zhang, Z. W.

AU - Lehner, M. J.

AU - Wang, J. H.

AU - Wen, C. Y.

AU - Wang, S. Y.

AU - King, S. K.

AU - Granados, Á P.

AU - Alcock, C.

AU - Axelrod, T.

AU - Bianco, F. B.

AU - Byun, Y. I.

AU - Chen, W. P.

AU - Coehlo, N. K.

AU - Cook, K. H.

AU - De Pater, I.

AU - Kim, D. W.

AU - Lee, T.

AU - Lissauer, J. J.

AU - Marshall, S. L.

AU - Protopapas, P.

AU - Rice, J. A.

AU - Schwamb, M. E.

PY - 2013/7

Y1 - 2013/7

N2 - The Taiwanese-American Occultation Survey (TAOS) aims to detect serendipitous occultations of stars by small (∼1 km diameter) objects in the Kuiper Belt and beyond. Such events are very rare (<10-3 events per star per year) and short in duration (∼200 ms), so many stars must be monitored at a high readout cadence. TAOS monitors typically ∼500 stars simultaneously at a 5 Hz readout cadence with four telescopes located at Lulin Observatory in central Taiwan. In this paper, we report the results of the search for small Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) in seven years of data. No occultation events were found, resulting in a 95% c.l. upper limit on the slope of the faint end of the KBO size distribution of q = 3.34-3.82, depending on the surface density at the break in the size distribution at a diameter of about 90 km.

AB - The Taiwanese-American Occultation Survey (TAOS) aims to detect serendipitous occultations of stars by small (∼1 km diameter) objects in the Kuiper Belt and beyond. Such events are very rare (<10-3 events per star per year) and short in duration (∼200 ms), so many stars must be monitored at a high readout cadence. TAOS monitors typically ∼500 stars simultaneously at a 5 Hz readout cadence with four telescopes located at Lulin Observatory in central Taiwan. In this paper, we report the results of the search for small Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) in seven years of data. No occultation events were found, resulting in a 95% c.l. upper limit on the slope of the faint end of the KBO size distribution of q = 3.34-3.82, depending on the surface density at the break in the size distribution at a diameter of about 90 km.

KW - Kuiper Belt: general

KW - comets: general

KW - occultations

KW - planets and satellites: formation

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JO - Astronomical Journal

JF - Astronomical Journal

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ER -

The TAOS project: Results from seven years of survey data

Abstract

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