A Subaru Archival Search for Faint TNOs

TL;DR

This study uses Subaru archival images to detect and analyze faint trans-neptunian objects, revealing a double power law distribution in their brightness, and identifying a magnitude break without external data.

Contribution

First survey with enough depth and coverage to determine the TNO brightness distribution break independently.

Findings

Detected 82 TNOs, 5 Centaurs, and 5 irregular satellites.

Best fit double power law indicates a break at R=24.3.

Double power law model is significantly more probable than single power law.

Abstract

We present the results of a survey for trans-neptunian objects (TNOs) based on Subaru archival images, originally collected by Sheppard et al. (2005) as part of a search for irregular satellites of Uranus. The survey region covers 2.8 deg^2, centered on Uranus and observed near opposition on two adjacent nights. Our survey reaches half its maximum detection efficiency at R=25.69$\pm$0.01. The objects detected correspond to 82 TNOs, five Centaurs, and five irregular satellites. We model the cumulative number of TNOs brighter than a given apparent magnitude with both a single and double power law. The best fit single power law, with one object per square degree at magnitude $R_0 =22.6_{-0.4}^{+0.3}$ and a slope of $\alpha = 0.51_{-0.6}^{+0.5}$, is inconsistent with the results of similar searches with shallower limiting magnitudes. The best fit double power law, with a bright-end slope $\alpha_1 = 0.7_{-0.1}^{+0.2}$, a faint-end slope $\alpha_2=0.3_{-0.2}^{+0.2}$, a differential number density at R=23, $\sigma_{23} = 2.0_{-0.5}^{+0.5}$ and a magnitude break in the slope at $R_{eq} = 24.3_{-0.1}^{+0.8}$, is more likely than the single power law by a Bayes factor of ~26. This is the first survey with sufficient depth and areal coverage to identify the magnitude at which the break occurs without relying on the results of other surveys. ...