On the Origin of the Pluto System

Abstract

The goal of this chapter is to review hypotheses for the origin of the Pluto system in light of observational constraints that have been considerably refined over the 85-year interval between the discovery of Pluto and its exploration by spacecraft. We focus on the giant impact hypothesis currently understood as the likeliest origin for the Pluto-Charon binary, and devote particular attention to new models of planet formation and migration in the outer solar system. We discuss the origins conundrum posed by the system's four small moons. We also elaborate on the implications of these scenarios for the dynamical environment of the early transneptunian disk, the likelihood of finding a Pluto collisional family, and the origin of other binary systems in the Kuiper belt. Finally, we highlight outstanding open issues regarding the origins of the Pluto system and suggest areas of future progress.

arXiv commentTo appear in "The Pluto System after New Horizons", University of Arizona Press, Eds. S. A. Stern, J. M. Moore, W. M. Grundy, L.A. Young, and R. P. Binzel

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• 1I/'Oumuamua as an N2 ice fragment of an exo-pluto surface. II. Generation of N2 ice fragments and the origin of 'Oumuamua
• Large-scale cryovolcanic resurfacing on Pluto
• The Tidal-Thermal Evolution of the Pluto-Charon System