The taos project: Upper bounds on the population of small kuiper belt objects and tests of models of formation and evolution of the outer solar system

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

doi:10.1088/0004-6256/139/4/1499

The taos project: Upper bounds on the population of small kuiper belt objects and tests of models of formation and evolution of the outer solar system

F. B. Bianco, Z. W. Zhang, M. J. Lehner, S. Mondal, S. K. King, J. Giammarco, M. J. Holman, N. K. Coehlo, J. H. Wang, C. Alcock, T. Axelrod, Y. I. Byun, W. P. Chen, K. H. Cook, R. Dave, I. De Pater, D. W. Kim, T. Lee, H. C. Lin, J. J. LissauerS. L. Marshall, P. Protopapas, J. A. Rice, M. E. Schwamb, S. Y. Wang, C. Y. Wen

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

35 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We have analyzed the first 3.75 years of data from the Taiwanese American Occultation Survey (TAOS). TAOS monitors bright stars to search for occultations by Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs). This data set comprises 5 × 10⁵ star hours of multi-telescope photometric data taken at 4 or 5 Hz. No events consistent with KBO occultations were found in this data set. We compute the number of events expected for the Kuiper Belt formation and evolution models of Pan & Sari, Kenyon & Bromley, Benavidez & Campo Bagatin, and Fraser. A comparison with the upper limits we derive from our data constrains the parameter space of these models. This is the first detailed comparison of models of the KBO size distribution with data from an occultation survey. Our results suggest that the KBO population is composed of objects with low internal strength and that planetary migration played a role in the shaping of the size distribution.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1499-1514
Number of pages	16
Journal	Astronomical Journal
Volume	139
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/139/4/1499
Publication status	Published - 2010

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

Access to Document

10.1088/0004-6256/139/4/1499

Cite this

Bianco, F. B., Zhang, Z. W., Lehner, M. J., Mondal, S., King, S. K., Giammarco, J., Holman, M. J., Coehlo, N. K., Wang, J. H., Alcock, C., Axelrod, T., Byun, Y. I., Chen, W. P., Cook, K. H., Dave, R., De Pater, I., Kim, D. W., Lee, T., Lin, H. C., ... Wen, C. Y. (2010). The taos project: Upper bounds on the population of small kuiper belt objects and tests of models of formation and evolution of the outer solar system. Astronomical Journal, 139(4), 1499-1514. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/139/4/1499

@article{1336353edff245ff9bee8c3cedf12325,

title = "The taos project: Upper bounds on the population of small kuiper belt objects and tests of models of formation and evolution of the outer solar system",

abstract = "We have analyzed the first 3.75 years of data from the Taiwanese American Occultation Survey (TAOS). TAOS monitors bright stars to search for occultations by Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs). This data set comprises 5 × 105 star hours of multi-telescope photometric data taken at 4 or 5 Hz. No events consistent with KBO occultations were found in this data set. We compute the number of events expected for the Kuiper Belt formation and evolution models of Pan & Sari, Kenyon & Bromley, Benavidez & Campo Bagatin, and Fraser. A comparison with the upper limits we derive from our data constrains the parameter space of these models. This is the first detailed comparison of models of the KBO size distribution with data from an occultation survey. Our results suggest that the KBO population is composed of objects with low internal strength and that planetary migration played a role in the shaping of the size distribution.",

author = "Bianco, {F. B.} and Zhang, {Z. W.} and Lehner, {M. J.} and S. Mondal and King, {S. K.} and J. Giammarco and Holman, {M. J.} and Coehlo, {N. K.} and Wang, {J. H.} and C. Alcock and T. Axelrod and Byun, {Y. I.} and Chen, {W. P.} and Cook, {K. H.} and R. Dave and {De Pater}, I. and Kim, {D. W.} and T. Lee and Lin, {H. C.} and Lissauer, {J. J.} and Marshall, {S. L.} and P. Protopapas and Rice, {J. A.} and Schwamb, {M. E.} and Wang, {S. Y.} and Wen, {C. Y.}",

year = "2010",

doi = "10.1088/0004-6256/139/4/1499",

language = "English",

volume = "139",

pages = "1499--1514",

journal = "Astronomical Journal",

issn = "0004-6256",

publisher = "IOP Publishing Ltd.",

number = "4",

}

Bianco, FB, Zhang, ZW, Lehner, MJ, Mondal, S, King, SK, Giammarco, J, Holman, MJ, Coehlo, NK, Wang, JH, Alcock, C, Axelrod, T, Byun, YI, Chen, WP, Cook, KH, Dave, R, De Pater, I, Kim, DW, Lee, T, Lin, HC, Lissauer, JJ, Marshall, SL, Protopapas, P, Rice, JA, Schwamb, ME, Wang, SY & Wen, CY 2010, 'The taos project: Upper bounds on the population of small kuiper belt objects and tests of models of formation and evolution of the outer solar system', Astronomical Journal, vol. 139, no. 4, pp. 1499-1514. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/139/4/1499

TY - JOUR

T1 - The taos project

T2 - Upper bounds on the population of small kuiper belt objects and tests of models of formation and evolution of the outer solar system

AU - Bianco, F. B.

AU - Zhang, Z. W.

AU - Lehner, M. J.

AU - Mondal, S.

AU - King, S. K.

AU - Giammarco, J.

AU - Holman, M. J.

AU - Coehlo, N. K.

AU - Wang, J. H.

AU - Alcock, C.

AU - Axelrod, T.

AU - Byun, Y. I.

AU - Chen, W. P.

AU - Cook, K. H.

AU - Dave, R.

AU - De Pater, I.

AU - Kim, D. W.

AU - Lee, T.

AU - Lin, H. C.

AU - Lissauer, J. J.

AU - Marshall, S. L.

AU - Protopapas, P.

AU - Rice, J. A.

AU - Schwamb, M. E.

AU - Wang, S. Y.

AU - Wen, C. Y.

PY - 2010

Y1 - 2010

N2 - We have analyzed the first 3.75 years of data from the Taiwanese American Occultation Survey (TAOS). TAOS monitors bright stars to search for occultations by Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs). This data set comprises 5 × 105 star hours of multi-telescope photometric data taken at 4 or 5 Hz. No events consistent with KBO occultations were found in this data set. We compute the number of events expected for the Kuiper Belt formation and evolution models of Pan & Sari, Kenyon & Bromley, Benavidez & Campo Bagatin, and Fraser. A comparison with the upper limits we derive from our data constrains the parameter space of these models. This is the first detailed comparison of models of the KBO size distribution with data from an occultation survey. Our results suggest that the KBO population is composed of objects with low internal strength and that planetary migration played a role in the shaping of the size distribution.

AB - We have analyzed the first 3.75 years of data from the Taiwanese American Occultation Survey (TAOS). TAOS monitors bright stars to search for occultations by Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs). This data set comprises 5 × 105 star hours of multi-telescope photometric data taken at 4 or 5 Hz. No events consistent with KBO occultations were found in this data set. We compute the number of events expected for the Kuiper Belt formation and evolution models of Pan & Sari, Kenyon & Bromley, Benavidez & Campo Bagatin, and Fraser. A comparison with the upper limits we derive from our data constrains the parameter space of these models. This is the first detailed comparison of models of the KBO size distribution with data from an occultation survey. Our results suggest that the KBO population is composed of objects with low internal strength and that planetary migration played a role in the shaping of the size distribution.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77949517127&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77949517127&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1088/0004-6256/139/4/1499

DO - 10.1088/0004-6256/139/4/1499

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:77949517127

SN - 0004-6256

VL - 139

SP - 1499

EP - 1514

JO - Astronomical Journal

JF - Astronomical Journal

IS - 4

ER -

The taos project: Upper bounds on the population of small kuiper belt objects and tests of models of formation and evolution of the outer solar system

Abstract

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this