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A Search For Volatile Ices On The Surfaces Of Cold Classical Kuiper Belt Objects, Daine Michael Wright

Masters Theses

The surprisingly complex dynamical distribution of small bodies among and beyond the orbits of the planets has changed our understanding of Solar System evolution and planetary migration. Compositional information about the small bodies in the Solar System provides constraints for models of Solar System formation. According to most models, the Kuiper Belt population known as the cold classicals formed at distances far enough from the Sun for these objects to be composed of an appreciable fraction of volatile ices of diverse composition (H₂O, CO₂, CH₄, light hydrocarbons, e.g. CH₃OH) and their orbits …