Influence of Neptune’s Migration Parameters on the Inclination Distribution of Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs)

Abstract Nesvorný suggested that Neptune’s early migration must have been slow (one e-fold τ ≳ 10 Myr) to explain the wide inclination distribution of dynamically hot populations in the Kuiper Belt. Volk & Malhotra reported that the median inclination of implanted KBOs, i M, depends on Neptune’s orbital inclination during migration. They did not find any simple relationship between i M and τ for 5 ≤ τ ≤ 50 Myr (very short migration timescales τ < 5 Myr can be ruled out; e.g., Figure 2 in Nesvorný). Here we briefly explain—a full account of our research will be published elsewhere—how these seemingly contradictory findings can be reconciled.