The Size Distribution of Kuiper belt objects for D> 10 km

Abstract

We have performed a survey of the Kuiper belt covering ~ 1/3 a square degree of the sky using Suprime-cam on the Subaru telescope, to a limiting magnitude of m(R)~ 26.8 (50% threshold) and have found 36 new KBOs. We have confirmed that the luminosity function of the Kuiper belt must break as previously observed (Bernstein et al. 2004; Fuentes & Holman 2008). From the luminosity function, we have inferred the underlying size distribution and find that it is consistent with a large object power-law slope q1~4.8 that breaks to a slope q2~1.9 at object diameter Db~60 km assuming 6% albedos. We have found no conclusive evidence that the size distribution of KBOs with inclinations i<5 is different than that of those with i>5. We discuss implications of this measurement for early accretion in the outer solar system and Neptune migration scenarios.

33 Pages, 11 Figures. Accepted in the Astronomical Journal

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• The History of the Solar System's Debris Disc: Observable Properties of the Kuiper Belt
• The Creation of Haumea's Collisional Family
• A Search for Distant Solar System Bodies in the Region of Sedna
• Kuiper Belt Object Occultations: Expected Rates, False Positives, and Survey Design