Persistent Evidence of a Jovian Mass Solar Companion in the Oort Cloud

TL;DR

Analysis of cometary data indicates a possible Jovian mass companion in the outer Oort cloud, with statistical support suggesting it is unlikely to be a fluke and potentially detectable by infrared surveys.

Contribution

Provides updated dynamical and statistical evidence for a Jovian mass companion in the outer Oort cloud, including predicted orbital orientation and potential observational detection methods.

Findings

Evidence supports a Jovian mass companion hypothesis.

Orbital orientation angles are constrained with ~2% sky uncertainty.

Bayesian analysis favors the companion hypothesis over a null hypothesis.

Abstract

We present an updated dynamical and statistical analysis of outer Oort cloud cometary evidence suggesting the sun has a wide-binary Jovian mass companion. The results support a conjecture that there exists a companion of mass ~ 1-4 M_Jup orbiting in the innermost region of the outer Oort cloud. Our most restrictive prediction is that the orientation angles of the orbit normal in galactic coordinates are centered on the galactic longitude of the ascending node Omega = 319 degree and the galactic inclination i = 103 degree (or the opposite direction) with an uncertainty in the normal direction subtending ~ 2% of the sky. A Bayesian statistical analysis suggests that the probability of the companion hypothesis is comparable to or greater than the probability of the null hypothesis of a statistical fluke. Such a companion could also have produced the detached Kuiper Belt object Sedna. The putative companion could be easily detected by the recently launched Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE).