2022 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
A New Planet in the Solar System? Investigating the Role of Undiscovered Planets on the Formation and Evolution of the Kuiper Belt in the Outer Solar System
| Project/Area Number |
20K04049
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| Research Institution | Kindai University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | 太陽系 / 太陽系外縁天体 / カイパーベルト / 未知の惑星 / solar system / trans-Neptunian objects / Kuiper Belt / undiscovered planets |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This research has two main goals: (1) How does a Kuiper Belt Planet (KBP) located beyond Neptune perturb the orbits of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs)? (2) The Kuiper Belt orbital structure by considering the existence of KBPs in the early solar system. The main achievements so far are:
- The model of the intrinsic Kuiper Belt was completed in FY2022. This model considered the real resonant + distant populations and investigated the effects of potential KBPs. This model simulations finished during 2022. Overall, I found that KBPs located beyond 100 astronomical units and with masses comparable to or less than Earth’s allowed the survival of these observed populations. Thus, I validated the results by constraining the properties of the investigated KBPs. After thoroughly analyzing the data of the intrinsic Kuiper Belt model described above, I summarized the main results in a paper by the end of FY2022 and submitted it to a journal with peer review. Currently, this paper is under revision.
- The model of formation of the Kuiper Belt including and not including KBPs was executed successfully in FY2022. This model considered the early solar system and investigated the effects of primordial KBPs. This model simulations finished during 2022. I have recently finished analyzing the data from these simulations. Overall, I found that many systems with KBPs can better explain the Kuiper Belt structure. I intend to summarize the main results in a new paper during 2023.
In conclusion, as planned, the entire achievement of the main goals was obtained by the end of FY2022.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
The main results based on the model of the intrinsic Kuiper Belt were summarized in a paper currently under review.
Currently (4/2023), I am doing the final analysis based on the model of the Kuiper Belt. This procedure will give me the details necessary to start writing a second paper about this project.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
I intend to finish revising the first paper about the intrinsic Kuiper Belt model. This paper should be accepted for publication during FY2023. Because the main results were already summarized, I plan to present them in several national and international meetings during FY2023.
After the revision of the first paper mentioned above, I intend to finish fully analyzing the data of the formation of the Kuiper Belt model by mid-2023. Then, I plan to write a second paper by the end of FY2023. Finally, I expect to present the main results of this second paper in 2024.
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| Causes of Carryover |
The original plan for FY2021-2022 was to present this research’s preliminary and main results in national and international meetings in person. However, unfortunately, the highly irregular behavior of the scientific community in 2020-2022 (the coronavirus period) did not allow such face-to-face meetings, so it was impossible to allocate travel and hotel expenses as originally planned. For these reasons, I was forced to change the plan, so I improved the data analysis of this research by acquiring a new workstation in Feb/2022 and enriched the quality of the research by visiting a collaborator at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan during FY2022. Giving the aforementioned circumstances, it was impossible to spend all the remaining budget by the end of FY2022.
In FY2023, I plan to use the remaining budget to support the final activities related to the second part of the project, as described above. In particular, I am acquiring a modern notebook for presentations in national/international meetings, paying for the publication costs of papers, and so on (research visits, meeting fees, etc).
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