Constraining the origins of TNO binaries through resolved spectroscopy

The various dynamical classes in the trans-Neptunian region record the history of Neptune’s migration early in solar system history. The low-inclination, low-eccentricity cold classical objects are thought to be the remnants of the outer primordial disk of minor bodies, left undisturbed by the migration of Neptune, while all other classes were implanted on their current orbits from smaller heliocentric distances through interaction with Neptune. Many other trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) were lost from the solar system entirely or transferred onto crossing orbits that resulted in collisions. Not unexpectedly, two very different populations of TNO binary systems are observed: (1) large TNOs with small satellites on relatively tight orbits and (2) small TNOs, mostly cold classicals, with roughly equal-sized components and relatively large separations. This stark contrast points to two very different formation mechanisms—giant impacts and co-formation—and corresponding expectations for the compositions of the components. Giant impacts are more likely to result in different compositions for the primary and secondary, while co-formation implies similar compositions. Observations with the JWST NIRSpec IFU provide sufficient spatial resolution to resolve TNO binaries and sufficient sensitivity to obtain spectra of both components. We have examined data for both large and small TNO binaries from GTO and GO programs and present spectral comparisons of the primaries and secondaries. The results of this work have implications for the early dynamical history and collisional environment in our own outer solar system, with links to other planetary systems with observed debris disks.