THE LONG-TERM DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF SMALL BODIES IN THE KUIPER BELT

The results are presented from a new numerical technique to determine the long-term dynamical behavior of objects in the Kuiper belt. According to this model, it is possible for some objects that formed in a well-defined region of the Kuiper belt to have lifetimes of approximately 5 x 10(9) yr, after which they leave the region between 30 and 100 AU. Therefore, the Kuiper belt can be the source of short-period comets. Objects tend to diffuse through a region 70 AU in extent on timescales that are on the order of the age of the solar system. Objects that form close to the orbit of Neptune have a significant chance of evolving to orbits with a > 100 AU. These objects can be effectively stored in these orbits for a very long time.