Pioneer anomaly and the Kuiper Belt mass distribution

DOI10.1088/0264-9381/23/14/005zbMATH Open1131.85300arXivastro-ph/0506330OpenAlexW2040048454WikidataQ62046927 ScholiaQ62046927MaRDI QIDQ5481145FDOQ5481145

Authors:

Publication date: 7 August 2006

Published in: Classical and Quantum Gravity (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Pioneer 10 and 11 were the first probes sent to study the outer planets of the Solar System and Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to leave the Solar System. Besides their already epic journeys, Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft were subjected to an unaccounted effect interpreted as a constant acceleration toward the Sun, the so-called Pioneer anomaly. One of the possibilities put forward for explaining the Pioneer anomaly is the gravitational acceleration of the Kuiper Belt. In this work we examine this hypothesis for various models for the Kuiper Belt mass distribution. We find that the gravitational effect due to the Kuiper Belt cannot account for the Pioneer anomaly. Furthermore, we have also studied the hypothesis that drag forces can explain the the Pioneer anomaly; however we conclude that the density required for producing the Pioneer anomaly is many orders of magnitude greater than those of interplanetary and interstellar dust. Our conclusions suggest that only through a mission, the Pioneer anomaly can be confirmed and further investigated. If a mission with these aims is ever sent to space, it turns out, on account of our results, that it will be also a quite interesting probe to study the mass distribution of the Kuiper Belt.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0506330

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Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Galactic and stellar dynamics (85A05) Observational and experimental questions in relativity and gravitational theory (83B05)

Cited In (7)

• PIONEER ANOMALY? GRAVITATIONAL PULL DUE TO THE KUIPER BELT
• The Pioneer anomaly
• A bootstrap approach to Pluto's origin
• A MISSION TO TEST THE PIONEER ANOMALY: ESTIMATING THE MAIN SYSTEMATIC EFFECTS
• DARK ENERGY, DARK MATTER AND GRAVITY
• Orbital perturbations due to massive rings
• CAN THE PIONEER ANOMALY BE INDUCED BY VELOCITY-DEPENDENT FORCES? TESTS IN THE OUTER REGIONS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM WITH PLANETARY DYNAMICS

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