A Rogue Planet Helps to Populate the Distant Kuiper Belt

Abstract

The orbital distribution of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) in the distant Kuiper Belt (with semimajor axes beyond the 2:1 resonance, roughly a = 50–100 au) provides constraints on the dynamical history of the outer solar system. Recent studies show two striking features of this region: (1) a very large population of objects in distant mean-motion resonances with Neptune, and (2) the existence of a substantial detached population (nonresonant objects largely decoupled from Neptune). Neptune migration models are able to implant some resonant and detached objects during the planet migration era, but many fail to match a variety of aspects of the orbital distribution. In this work, we report simulations carried out using an improved version of the GPU-based code GLISSE, following 100,000 test particles per simulation in parallel while handling their planetary close encounters. We demonstrate for the first time that a 2 Earth-mass rogue planet temporarily present during planet formation can abundantly populate both the distant resonances and the detached populations, surprisingly even without planetary migration. We show how weak encounters with the rogue planet greatly increase the efficiency of filling the resonances, while also dislodging TNOs out of resonance once they reach high perihelia. The rogue’s secular gravitational influence simultaneously generates numerous detached objects observed at all semimajor axes. These results suggest that the early presence of additional planet(s) reproduces the observed TNO orbital structure in the distant Kuiper Belt.