Detection of Small Kuiper Belt Objects by Stellar Occultations

TL;DR

This paper explores detecting small Kuiper Belt Objects via stellar occultations, aiming to understand their size distribution and mass contribution, using diffraction effects observed through fast photometry.

Contribution

It introduces a method to detect small Kuiper Belt Objects by observing stellar occultations and diffraction effects, enhancing understanding of the belt's mass and structure.

Findings

Potential to detect sub-10 km Kuiper Belt Objects

Use of fast photometry to observe diffraction patterns

Implications for understanding Kuiper Belt mass distribution

Abstract

Knowledge of the Kuiper Belt is currently limited to those objects that can be detected directly. Objects with diameters less than $\sim$10km reflect too little light to be detected. These smaller bodies could contain most of the mass in the Kuiper Belt while the abundance of these bodies may constrain the distribution of mass. The overall size distribution of bodies within the Kuiper Belt can also be inferred from the relative abundances of sub-km and larger bodies. Stellar occultations are already used to study dark objects in the Solar System, such as asteroids or planetary rings. Occultation by a KBO of a size comparable to, or larger than, that of the Fresnel Scale will result in Fresnel diffraction. Detection of diffraction effects requires fast multiple-star photometry, which will be conducted in July 2007 using the Orthogonal Parallel Transfer Imaging Camera (OPTIC) mounted on the University of Hawaii 2.2m telescope on Mauna Kea. This paper details how knowledge of the mass and structure of the outer Solar System may be obtained through the detection of serendipitous stellar occultations.