The scattering outcomes of Kepler circumbinary planets: planet mass ratio

Recent studies reveal that the free eccentricities of Kepler-34b and Kepler-413b are much larger than their forced eccentricities, implying that the scattering events may take place in their formation. The observed orbital configuration of Kepler-34b cannot be well reproduced in disk-driven migration models, whereas a two-planet scattering scenario can play a significant role of shaping the planetary configuration. These studies indicate that circumbinary planets discovered by Kepler may have experienced scattering process. In this work, we extensively investigate the scattering outcomes of circumbinary planets focusing on the effects of planet mass ratio. We find that the planetary mass ratio and the the initial relative locations of planets act as two important parameters which affect the eccentricity distribution of the surviving planets. As an application of our model, we discuss the observed orbital configurations of Kepler-34b and Kepler-413b. We first adopt the results from the disk-driven models as the initial conditions, then simulate the scattering process occurred in the late evolution stage of circumbinary planets. We show that the present orbital configurations of Kepler-34b and Kepler-413b can be well reproduced when considering two unequal-mass planet ejection model. Our work further suggests that some of the currently discovered circumbinary single-planet systems may be the survivals of original multiple-planet systems. The disk-driven migration and the scattering events occurring in the late stage both play an irreplaceable role in sculpting the final systems.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A

The silicate model and carbon rich model of CoRoT-7b, Kepler-9d and Kepler-10b

Possible bulk compositions of the super-Earth exoplanets, CoRoT-7b, Kepler-9d, and Kepler-10b are investigated by applying a commonly used silicate and a non-standard carbon model. Their internal structures are deduced using the suitable equation of state of the materials. The degeneracy problems of their compositions can be partly overcome, based on the fact that all three planets are extremely close to their host stars. By analyzing the numerical results, we conclude: 1) The iron core of CoRoT-7b is not more than 27% of its total mass within 1 $\sigma$ mass-radius error bars, so an Earth-like composition is less likely, but its carbon rich model can be compatible with an Earth-like core/mantle mass fraction; 2) Kepler-10b is more likely with a Mercury-like composition, its old age implies that its high iron content may be a result of strong solar wind or giant impact; 3) the transiting-only super-Earth Kepler-9d is also discussed. Combining its possible composition with the formation theory, we can place some constraints on its mass and bulk composition.Comment: 20 pages, 8figures, accepted for publication in RAA. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:0707.289