Capture of interstellar objects: a source of long-period comets

TL;DR

This study simulates how interstellar objects like `Oumuamua can be captured by the Sun-Jupiter system, suggesting some long-period comets may originate from outside our solar system, with a steady-state population of hundreds of such comets.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed simulation of ISO capture dynamics and estimates the steady-state population of captured interstellar objects in the solar system.

Findings

Capture of ISOs is rare and mainly from low incoming speeds.

Some long-period comets could be of extra-solar origin.

Estimated steady-state population includes about 100 comets and 100,000 rocks.

Abstract

We simulate the passage through the Sun-Jupiter system of interstellar objects (ISOs) similar to 1I/`Oumuamua or 2I/Borisov. Capture of such objects is rare and overwhelmingly from low incoming speeds onto orbits akin to those of known long-period comets. This suggests that some of these comets could be of extra-solar origin, in particular inactive ones. Assuming ISOs follow the local stellar velocity distribution, we infer a volume capture rate of $0.051\,\mathrm{au}^3 \mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. Current estimates for orbital lifetimes and space densities then imply steady-state captured populations of $\sim10^2$ comets and $\sim10^5$ `Oumuamua-like rocks, of which 0.033% are within 6au at any time.