2023 Fiscal Year Final Research 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 Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 17010:Space and planetary sciences-related
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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 Final Research Achievements |
There are many mysterious objects in the region of the outer solar system known as the distant Kuiper Belt. In this study, we assumed that there is an undiscovered planet in the distant Kuiper belt and verified its effects by computer simulations. The model succeeded in reproducing the main properties of distant Kuiper Belt objects that could not be explained by conventional models considering only the known 8 planets. A hypothetical planet with 1.5 to 3 times the mass of the Earth, an orbit 200 to 800 au away from the sun, and an inclination of 30 degrees would be in close agreement with current observations. The results of this research suggest the possibility of the existence of an undiscovered planet in the outer solar system. It is expected to serve as an indicator for the actual observation of such a planet in the future. (1 au is the average distance from the Sun to the Earth)
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| Free Research Field |
地球惑星科学
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
海王星の軌道を超えるカイパーベルト天体は、太陽系における惑星形成の名残であると考えられているため、重要な存在である。従って、カイパーベルトの形成は、太陽系とその惑星（地球を含む）がどのように、どのような条件で形成されたかを理解するのに役立つ。本研究では、カイパーベルトのより遠方領域を分析した結果、太陽系外縁部に未発見の惑星が存在すれば、遠方カイパーベルトの特性がよく説明できると分かった。この惑星の影響を考慮することで、太陽系形成に関する新たな洞察を得ることができる。また、未発見の惑星の存在を予測しているため、今後の日本や国際的な天体観測によって、太陽系内に新惑星などが発見される可能性がある。
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