45 research outputs found
Scattered Disk Dynamics: The Mapping Approach
We derive, and discuss the properties of, a symplectic map for the dynamics
of bodies on nearly parabolic orbits. The orbits are perturbed by a planet on a
circular, coplanar orbit interior to the pericenter of the parabolic orbit. The
map shows excellent agreement with direct numerical integrations and elucidates
how the dynamics depends on perturber mass and pericenter distance. We also use
the map to explore the onset of chaos, statistical descriptions of chaotic
transport, and sticking in mean-motion resonances. We discuss implications of
our mapping model for the dynamical evolution of the solar system's scattered
disk and other highly eccentric trans-Neptunian objects.Comment: submitted to MNRA
Intra-system uniformity: a natural outcome of dynamical sculpting
There is evidence that exoplanet systems display intra-system uniformity in
mass, radius, and orbital spacing (like "peas in a pod") when compared with the
system-to-system variations of planetary systems. This has been interpreted as
the outcome of the early stages of planet formation, indicative of a picture in
which planets form at characteristic mass scales with uniform separations. In
this paper, we argue instead that intra-system uniformity in planet sizes and
orbital spacings likely arose from the long-term dynamical sculpting of
initially-overly-packed planetary systems (in other words, the giant impact
phase). With a suite of -body simulations, we demonstrate that systems with
random initial masses and compact planet spacings naturally develop
intra-system uniformity, in quantitative agreement with observations, due to
collisions between planets. Our results suggest that the pre-giant impact
planet mass distribution is fairly wide and provide evidence for the prevalence
of dynamical sculpting in shaping the observed population of exoplanets.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to MNRAS Letter