Abstract
In order to develop a dynamical model of the Kuiper disk, we run numerical integrations of particles originating from source bodies trapped in the 3 : 2 external mean motion resonance with Neptune to determine what percentage of particles remain in the resonance for a variety of particle and source body sizes. The dynamical evolution of the particles is followed from source to sink with Poynting-Robertson light drag, solar wind drag, radiation pressure, the Lorentz force, neutral interstellar gas drag, and the effects of planetary gravitational perturbations included. We find that the number of particles in the 3 : 2 resonance increases with decreasing β (i.e., increasing particle size) for the cases in which the initial source bodies are small (≤10 km in diameter) and that the percentage of particles in resonance is not significantly changed by either the addition of the Lorentz force, as long as the potential of the particles is small (≈5 V), or the effect of neutral interstellar gas drag. The brightness of the entire Kuiper disk is calculated using a model composed of 500 μm diameter particles and fits well with upper limits to the Kuiper disk brightness and previous estimates. A disk with a size-frequency distribution weighted toward large particles, which are more likely to remain in resonance, may have a stronger, more easily identifiable resonant signature than a disk composed of small particles.
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