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M. J. Kuchner, M. J. Holman (Harvard/Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
The inclination distribution of Kuiper Belt Objects is curiously tall compared to planetary and asteroidal inclination distributions. We numerically integrated the orbits of ~1500 particles in the region of the classical Kuiper Belt (41 AU \leq a \leq 47 AU) for 4 billion years to explore the role of dynamical instability in sculpting the inclination distribution in that region. We describe some instabilities that act to increase the mean inclination.
Marc Kuchner is supported by a Michelson Postdoctoral Fellowship.