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Search for sub-kilometre trans-neptunian objects using corot asteroseismology data
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Search for sub-kilometre trans-neptunian objects using corot asteroseismology data

Chih-Yuan Liu, Alain Doressoundiram, Franoise Roques, Hsiang-Kuang Chang, Lucie Maquet and Michel Auvergne
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol.446(1), pp.932-940
01/01/2015

Abstract

Kuiper belt: general Minor planets, asteroids: general Occultations Planets and satellites: formation
We present the search for sub-kilometre trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) by re-examining the CoRoT (Convection Rotation and Planetary Transits) asteroseismology observations. The total observation time employed in this work is about 144 000 star hours with signal-to-noise ratio larger than 1000 computed on 30-s intervals. 13 Possible Occultation Events (POEs) were found from the deviation method. These detections gives a density in the ecliptic sky plane of TNOs larger than 400-m radius of N(R > 400 m) = 1.4 <sub>-0.7</sub> <sup>+4.2</sup> × 10 <sup>7</sup> deg <sup>-2</sup> . The fit of the density of TNOs with the believed break r <sub>break</sub> = 45 km provides a power-law size distribution index q larger than 3.5. This value is consistent with the detection of two potential events from Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) observations that found q = 3.8 ± 0.2. However, fitting the 13 POEs with the HST/FGS result alone gives a power-law size distribution index of q = 4.5 ± 0.2 in the size range of 0.2-2.0 km. This value is then compared with evolution models of the Kuiper belt.
url
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stu1987View
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