A semi-analytical Ring-Arc model for Plutino perturbations

Abstract Neptune’s 2:3 mean motion resonance induces an asymmetric spatial distribution of Plutinos. We previously proposed a 9000-point-mass arc model that successfully captures the resulting influence on planetary ephemerides. However, integrating thousands of point masses involves significant computational cost. In this paper, to more efficiently simulate the total perturbation of Plutinos, we develop a semi-analytical Ring-Arc model described by gravitational potentials. This model consists of an outer ring and two inner arcs, representing the resonant spatial distribution of Plutinos. The model parameters are derived from observed Plutinos and theoretical sampling, yielding consistent structures. Numerical simulations show that the perturbations on the Sun-Neptune and Sun-Saturn distances from the semi-analytical Ring-Arc model agree with those from the 9000-point-mass arc model within 4% over 50 years, while outperforming a simple ring model in comparison with the bias-corrected Plutino population. Our semi-analytical approach preserves the dynamical characteristics while significantly enhancing computational efficiency, offering a state-of-the-art tool for ephemeris modelling.