Debiasing the NEOWISE Cryogenic Mission Comet Populations

Bauer, J. M.; Grav, T.; Fernández, Y. R.; Mainzer, Amy; Kramer, Emily; Masiero, J.; Spahr, T. B.; Nugent, C.; Stevenson, R.; Meech, К. J.; Cutri, R. M.; Lisse, C. M.; Walker, Russell G.; Dailey, J.; Rosser, Joshua; Krings, Phillip; Ruecker, K.; Wright, E. L.

doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa72df

Cited by 58 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…A more recent determination of the debiased LPC SFD is significantly shallower than our distribution with α = 0.200 ± 0.014 for 1 km < D < 20 km (Bauer et al, 2017). It is difficult to reconcile this value with our slope because, even allowing for the combined statistical+systematic uncertainty in our value ( §3.3.5), the two values differ by 3-σ.…”

Section: Corrected Lpc Size Distributioncontrasting

confidence: 76%

“…For this reason there are perhaps only a dozen or so reliable LPC nucleus size measurements (Meech, 2017b) obtained from radar observations (e.g. Harmon et al, 1997), or where it was possible to model and remove the coma because of high resolution Hubble Space Telescope data (Meech et al, 2004), or space-based thermal-IR measurements (Bauer et al, 2017(Bauer et al, , 2015. Bauer et al (2015) suggested on the basis of measurements from the WISE observatory that the known, active LPCs were on average about twice as large as the short-period comets, but they did not have a large sample and the measurements were not corrected for observational selection effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The orbit and size-frequency distribution of long period comets observed by Pan-STARRS1

Boe

Jedicke

Meech

et al. 2019

Icarus

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We introduce a new technique to estimate the comet nuclear size frequency distribution (SFD) that combines a cometary activity model with a survey simulation and apply it to 150 long period comets (LPC) detected by the Pan-STARRS1 near-Earth object survey. The debiased LPC size-frequency distribution is in agreement with previous estimates for large comets with nuclear diameter 1 km but we measure a significant drop in the SFD slope for small objects with diameters < 1 km and approaching only 100 m diameter. Large objects have a slope α big = 0.72 ± 0.09(stat.) ± 0.15(sys.) while small objects behave as α small = 0.07 ± 0.03(stat.) ± 0.09(sys.) where the SFD is ∝ 10 αH N and H N represents the cometary nuclear absolute magnitude. The total number of LPCs that are > 1 km diameter and have perihelia q < 10 au is 0.46 ± 0.15 × 10 9 while there are only 2.4 ± 0.5(stat.) ± 2(sys.) × 10 9 objects with diameters > 100 m due to the shallow slope of the SFD for diameters < 1 km. We estimate that the total number of 'potentially active' objects with diameters ≥ 1 km in the Oort cloud, objects that would be defined as LPCs if their perihelia evolved to < 10 au, is (1.5±1)×10 12 with a combined mass of 1.3±0.9 M ⊕ . The debiased LPC orbit distribution is broadly in agreement with expectations from contemporary dynamical models but there are discrepancies that could point towards a future ability to disentangle the relative importance of stellar perturbations and galactic tides in producing the LPC population.

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Section: Corrected Lpc Size Distributioncontrasting

confidence: 76%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The orbit and size-frequency distribution of long period comets observed by Pan-STARRS1

Boe

Jedicke

Meech

et al. 2019

Icarus

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“…For centaurs, an ensemble analysis gives a mean albedo of 8% ± 4% (Stansberry et al 2008;Bauer et al 2013), which is consistent with diameters between ∼10 and 14 km. NEOWISE provided an independent diameter estimate for P/2010 TO20 of 10.6 km (Bauer et al 2017, see online data).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann 1, A Centaur in the Gateway to the Jupiter-family Comets

Sarid

Volk

Steckloff

et al. 2019

ApJL

127

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Jupiter-family comets (JFCs) are the evolutionary products of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) that evolve through the giant planet region as Centaurs and into the inner solar system. Through numerical orbital evolution calculations following a large number of TNO test particles that enter the Centaur population, we have identified a short-lived dynamical Gateway, a temporary low-eccentricity region exterior to Jupiter through which the majority of JFCs pass. We apply an observationally based size distribution function to the known Centaur population and obtain an estimated Gateway region population. We then apply an empirical fading law to the rate of incoming JFCs implied by the the Gateway region residence times. Our derived estimates are consistent with observed population numbers for the JFC and Gateway populations. Currently, the most notable occupant of the Gateway region is 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 (SW1), a highly active, regularly outbursting Centaur. SW1's present-day, very-loweccentricity orbit was established after a 1975 Jupiter conjunction and will persist until a 2038 Jupiter conjunction doubles its eccentricity and pushes its semi-major axis out to its current aphelion. Subsequent evolution will likely drive SW1's orbit out of the Gateway region, perhaps becoming one of the largest JFCs in recorded history. The JFC Gateway region coincides with a heliocentric distance range where the activity of observed cometary bodies increases significantly. SW1's activity may be typical of the early evolutionary processing experienced by most JFCs. Thus, the Gateway region, and its most notable occupant SW1, are critical to both the dynamical and physical transition between Centaurs and JFCs.

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“…Recent studies have shown that the total number of long-period comets in the inner solar system is far higher than was hitherto thought, perhaps by as much as a factor of 10 (Bauer et al, 2017) [3].…”

Section: Long-period Cometsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Oumuamua (A/2017U1) – A Confirmation of Links between Galactic Planetary Systems

Wickramasinghe¹,

Steele²,

Wallis³

et al. 2018

AdAp

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Debiasing the NEOWISE Cryogenic Mission Comet Populations

Cited by 58 publications

References 51 publications

The orbit and size-frequency distribution of long period comets observed by Pan-STARRS1

The orbit and size-frequency distribution of long period comets observed by Pan-STARRS1

29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann 1, A Centaur in the Gateway to the Jupiter-family Comets

Oumuamua (A/2017U1) – A Confirmation of Links between Galactic Planetary Systems

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