High-inclination Centaurs likely originate from polar Trans-Neptunian reservoirs, not the flat outer disk

• There exist stable regions (reservoirs) of small icy objects beyond Neptune that are in highly tilted (high-inclination) or even retrograde orbits (opposite to planet). The region is called the polar corridor.

• Centaurs cannot form from the flat, low-inclination regions of the Solar System (like the Kuiper Belt). They come from high-inclination source zones that already existed beyond Neptune.

• TNO( transneptunian objects) are small icy bodies that orbit the Sun beyond Neptune, mostly in the region known as the Kuiper Belt and beyond from about 30 AU to 1000 AU

• Centaurs are small icy bodies that orbit between Jupiter and Neptune — that is, inside the region of the giant planets.Distance range: roughly 5 to 30 AU from the Sun. They are thought to be temporary— their orbits are unstable because of strong gravitational interactions with the giant planet.

• TNOs located in the outer Solar System can be perturbed inward by Neptune’s gravity, the Galactic tide, or passing stars. As their orbits shrink and cross Neptune’s region, they become Centaurs.

• Tisserand inclination pathway equation:

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• The equation describes the inclination of a small body’s orbit (like a TNO or Centaur) in terms of its orbital parameters relative to a planet (like Neptune). Tisserand parameter with respect to Neptune, TN​, neatly organizes how strongly Neptune interacts with an orbit. If TN is small or negative, it means the orbit strongly interacts with Neptune’s region.

• TN=0.5 at about 80° inclination, TN=−1.5​ at about 122° inclination. 

• Source: https://arxiv.org/html/2511.03021v1