Thermal-orbital evolution of Eris

Abstract

The large Kuiper Belt object (KBO) Eris is nearly as big as Pluto and has a small moon, Dysnomia. Constraints on the system's spin and orbit characteristics were recently used to argue for a dissipative Eris, requiring a differentiated structure but not necessarily a subsurface ocean. Here, we model the thermal history of Eris coupled to its spin-orbital evolution, finding a subsurface ocean is preferred in order for Eris to be sufficiently dissipative. Spinning down Eris without an ocean is difficult, requiring a warm convecting ice shell protected by a thick insulating layer and very dissipative anelastic behavior in ice. Oceans make up 77-100% of successful thermal-orbital evolution models, depending on the parameters assumed, which increases to >98% when the Andrade $\beta$ parameter for ice is restricted to $\beta\leq3\times10^{-11}$ Pa$^{-1}$ s$^{-0.25}$. Oceans freeze over by the present day unless insulation (porosity, gas clathrates) or antifreeze are present.