DiSCo-TNOs: An Exploration of Three Excited Populations of Trans-Neptunian Objects
Session 1.07 Spectroscopy
Monday 06-24 | 11:40 - 12:00

Populations of trans-Neptunian objects with high inclinations and/or eccentricities hint at a dynamically exciting event during the early evolution of the Solar System that transported them to their current orbits. Investigating trans-Neptunian populations such as these is vital for providing constraints on models of the Solar System's history and better assessing the protoplanetary disk's compositional characteristics. In this work, we study 34 TNOs observed as part of the JWST Cycle 1 Proposal, “Discovering the Surface Composition of trans-Neptunian Objects,” (DiSCo-TNOs) that belong to three excited dynamical groups: the detached, scattering, and hot classical (See Gladman et al. 2021). The observations were performed using the low-resolution PRISM mode of NIRSpec, which provided wavelength coverage from 0.6 – 5.2 micrometers. This tool is optimal for studying the physical and chemical states of multiple ices, including water ice, methanol, carbon dioxide and monoxide, and nitrogen- and sulfur-bearing species. Here, we present the preliminary results of our analysis of these bodies concerning their physical parameters, spectral features, and compositional groups as defined by Pinilla-Alonso et al. (2024). Additionally, we explore the meaning of these findings regarding the evolutionary history of small bodies in the outer Solar System.

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