57 research outputs found
Spin-orbit resonances and rotation of coorbital bodies in quasi-circular orbits
The rotation of asymmetric bodies in eccentric Keplerian orbits can be
chaotic when there is some overlap of spin-orbit resonances. Here we show that
the rotation of two coorbital bodies (two planets orbiting a star or two
satellites of a planet) can also be chaotic even for quasi-circular orbits
around the central body. When dissipation is present, the rotation period of a
body on a nearly circular orbit is believed to always end synchronous with the
orbital period. Here we demonstrate that for coorbital bodies in quasi-circular
orbits, stable non-synchronous rotation is possible for a wide range of mass
ratios and body shapes. We further show that the rotation becomes chaotic when
the natural rotational libration frequency, due to the axial asymmetry, is of
the same order of magnitude as the orbital libration frequency
Exploring the formation by core accretion and the luminosity evolution of directly imaged planets: The case of HIP 65426 b
A low-mass companion to the two-solar mass star HIP65426 has recently been
detected by SPHERE at around 100 au from its host. Explaining the presence of
super-Jovian planets at large separations, as revealed by direct imaging, is
currently an open question.
We want to derive statistical constraints on the mass and initial entropy of
HIP65426b and to explore possible formation pathways of directly imaged objects
within the core-accretion paradigm, focusing on HIP65426b.
Constraints on the planet's mass and post-formation entropy are derived from
its age and luminosity combined with cooling models. For the first time, the
results of population synthesis are also used to inform the results. Then, a
formation model that includes N-body dynamics with several embryos per disc is
used to study possible formation histories and the properties of possible
additional companions. Finally, the outcomes of two- and three-planet
scattering in the post-disc phase are analysed, taking tides into account.
The mass of HIP65426b is found to be Mp = 9.9 +1.1 -1.8 MJ using the hot
population and Mp = 10.9 +1.4 -2.0 MJ with the cold-nominal population. Core
formation at small separations from the star followed by outward scattering and
runaway accretion at a few hundred AU succeeds in reproducing the mass and
separation of HIP65426b. Alternatively, systems having two or more giant
planets close enough to be on an unstable orbit at disc dispersal are likely to
end up with one planet on a wide HIP65426b-like orbit with a relatively high
eccentricity (>~ 0.5).
If this scattering scenario explains its formation, HIP65426b is predicted to
have a high eccentricity and to be accompanied by one or several roughly
Jovian-mass planets at smaller semi-major axes, which also could have a high
eccentricity. This could be tested by further direct-imaging as well as
radial-velocity observations.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures. A&A in press. Bern EXoplanet cooling curves
(BEX) available upon request. v2: Language and other minor changes; Fig. 4
now has labels summarising a possible formation pathway discussed in the tex
Stability of the co-orbital resonance under dissipation: Application to its evolution in protoplanetary discs
Despite the existence of co-orbital bodies in the solar system, and the
prediction of the formation of co-orbital planets by planetary system formation
models, no co-orbital exoplanets (also called trojans) have been detected thus
far. In this paper we investigate how a pair of co-orbital exoplanets would
fare during their migration in a protoplanetary disc. To this end, we computed
a stability criterion of the Lagrangian equilibria L4 and L5 under generic
dissipation and slow mass evolution. Depending on the strength and shape of
these perturbations, the system can either evolve towards the Lagrangian
equilibrium, or tend to increase its amplitude of libration, possibly all the
way to horseshoe orbits or even exiting the resonance. We estimated the various
terms of our criterion using a set of hydrodynamical simulations, and show that
the dynamical coupling between the disc perturbations and both planets have a
significant impact on the stability: the structures induced by each planet in
the disc perturb the dissipative forces applied on the other planets over each
libration cycle. Amongst our results on the stability of co-orbitals, several
are of interest to constrain the observability of such configurations:
long-distance inward migration and smaller leading planets tend to increase the
libration amplitude around the Lagrangian equilibria, while leading massive
planets and belonging to a resonant chain tend to stabilise it. We also show
that, depending on the strength of the dissipative forces, both the inclination
and the eccentricity of the smaller of the two co-orbitals can be significantly
increased during the inward migration of the co-orbital pair, which can have a
significant impact on the detectability by transit of such configurations
The New Generation Planetary Population Synthesis (NGPPS) VI. Introducing KOBE: Kepler Observes Bern Exoplanets
Context. Observations of exoplanets indicate the existence of several correlations in the architecture of planetary systems. Exoplanets within a system tend to be of similar size and mass, evenly spaced, and are often ordered in size and mass. Small planets are frequently packed in tight configurations, while large planets often have wider orbital spacing. Together, these correlations are called the peas in a pod trends in the architecture of planetary systems.
Aims. In this paper these trends are investigated in theoretically simulated planetary systems and compared with observations. Whether these correlations emerge from astrophysical processes or the detection biases of the transit method is examined.
Methods. Synthetic planetary system were simulated using the Generation III Bern Model. KOBE, a new computer code, simulates the geometrical limitations of the transit method and applies the detection biases and completeness of the Kepler survey. This allows simulated planetary systems to be compared with observations.
Results. The architecture of synthetic planetary systems, observed via KOBE, show the peas in a pod trends in good agreement with observations. These correlations are also present in the theoretical underlying population, from the Bern Model, indicating that these trends are probably of astrophysical origin.
Conclusions. The physical processes involved in planet formation are responsible for the emergence of evenly spaced planets with similar sizes and masses. The size–mass similarity trends are primordial and originate from the oligarchic growth of protoplanetary embryos and the uniform growth of planets at early times. Later stages in planet formation allows planets within a system to grow at different rates, thereby decreasing these correlations. The spacing and packing correlations are absent at early times and arise from dynamical interactions
Spin-orbit coupling and chaotic rotation for circumbinary bodies: application to the small satellites of the Pluto-Charon system
We investigate the resonant rotation of circumbinary bodies in planar quasi-circular orbits. Denoting n(b) and n the orbital mean motion of the inner binary and of the circumbinary body, respectively, we show that spin-orbit resonances exist at the frequencies n +/- kv/2, where v = n(b) - n, and k is an integer. Moreover, when the libration at natural frequency has the same magnitude as v, the resonances overlap and the rotation becomes chaotic. We apply these results to the small satellites in the Pluto-Charon system, and conclude that their rotations are likely chaotic. However, the rotation can also be stable and not synchronous for small axial asymmetries
Detectability of quasi-circular co-orbital planets: application to the radial velocity technique
Several celestial bodies in co-orbital configurations exist in the solar system. However, co-orbital exoplanets have not yet been discovered. This lack may result from a degeneracy between the signal induced by co-orbital planets and other orbital configurations. Here we determine a criterion for the detectability of quasi-circular co-orbital planets and develop a demodulation method to bring out their signature from the observational data. We show that the precision required to identify a pair of co-orbital planets depends only on the libration amplitude and on the planet's mass ratio. We apply our method to synthetic radial velocity data, and show that for tadpole orbits we are able to determine the inclination of the system to the line of sight. Our method is also valid for planets detected through the transit and astrometry techniques
Special cases : moons, rings, comets, trojans
Non-planetary bodies provide valuable insight into our current under-
standing of planetary formation and evolution. Although these objects are
challeng- ing to detect and characterize, the potential information to be drawn
from them has motivated various searches through a number of techniques. Here,
we briefly review the current status in the search of moons, rings, comets, and
trojans in exoplanet systems and suggest what future discoveries may occur in
the near future.Comment: Invited review (status August 2017
A pair of Sub-Neptunes transiting the bright K-dwarf TOI-1064 characterised with CHEOPS
Funding: TGW, ACC, and KH acknowledge support from STFC consolidated grant numbers ST/R000824/1 and ST/V000861/1, and UKSA grant ST/R003203/1.We report the discovery and characterization of a pair of sub-Neptunes transiting the bright K-dwarf TOI-1064 (TIC 79748331), initially detected in the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) photometry. To characterize the system, we performed and retrieved the CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite (CHEOPS), TESS, and ground-based photometry, the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) high-resolution spectroscopy, and Gemini speckle imaging. We characterize the host star and determine Teff,⋆=4734±67K, R⋆=0.726±0.007R⊙, and M⋆=0.748±0.032M⊙. We present a novel detrending method based on point spread function shape-change modelling and demonstrate its suitability to correct flux variations in CHEOPS data. We confirm the planetary nature of both bodies and find that TOI-1064 b has an orbital period of Pb = 6.44387 ± 0.00003 d, a radius of Rb = 2.59 ± 0.04 R⊕, and a mass of Mb=13.5+1.7−1.8 M⊕, whilst TOI-1064 c has an orbital period of Pc=12.22657+0.00005−0.00004 d, a radius of Rc = 2.65 ± 0.04 R⊕, and a 3σ upper mass limit of 8.5 M⊕. From the high-precision photometry we obtain radius uncertainties of ∼1.6 per cent, allowing us to conduct internal structure and atmospheric escape modelling. TOI-1064 b is one of the densest, well-characterized sub-Neptunes, with a tenuous atmosphere that can be explained by the loss of a primordial envelope following migration through the protoplanetary disc. It is likely that TOI-1064 c has an extended atmosphere due to the tentative low density, however further radial velocities are needed to confirm this scenario and the similar radii, different masses nature of this system. The high-precision data and modelling of TOI-1064 b are important for planets in this region of mass–radius space, and it allow us to identify a trend in bulk density–stellar metallicity for massive sub-Neptunes that may hint at the formation of this population of planets.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
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