Viscoelastic Tidal Dissipation in Giant Planets and Formation of Hot Jupiters Through High-Eccentricity Migration

We study the possibility of tidal dissipation in the solid cores of giant planets and its implication for the formation of hot Jupiters through high-eccentricity migration. We present a general framework by which the tidal evolution of planetary systems can be computed for any form of tidal dissipation, characterized by the imaginary part of the complex tidal Love number, ${\rm Im}[{\tilde k}_2(\omega)]$, as a function of the forcing frequency $\omega$. Using the simplest viscoelastic dissipation model (the Maxwell model) for the rocky core and including the effect of a nondissipative fluid envelope, we show that with reasonable (but uncertain) physical parameters for the core (size, viscosity and shear modulus), tidal dissipation in the core can accommodate the tidal-Q constraint of the Solar system gas giants and at the same time allows exoplanetary hot Jupiters to form via tidal circularization in the high-e migration scenario. By contrast, the often-used weak friction theory of equilibrium tide would lead to a discrepancy between the Solar system constraint and the amount of dissipation necessary for high-e migration. We also show that tidal heating in the rocky core can lead to modest radius inflation of the planets, particularly when the planets are in the high-eccentricity phase ($e\sim 0.6$) during their high-e migration. Finally, as an interesting by-product of our study, we note that for a generic tidal response function ${\rm Im}[{\tilde k}_2(\omega)]$, it is possible that spin equilibrium (zero torque) can be achieved for multiple spin frequencies (at a given $e$), and the actual pseudo-synchronized spin rate depends on the evolutionary history of the system.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, MNRAS in pres

Effects of Zeeman field on a Spin Bose-Metal phase

We consider Zeeman field effects on a Spin Bose-Metal (SBM) phase on a two-leg triangular ladder. This phase was found in a spin-1/2 model with ring exchanges [D. N. Sheng et. al., Phys. Rev. B {\bf 79}, 205112 (2009)], and was also proposed to appear in an interacting electronic model with longer-ranged repulsion [Lai et. al., Phys. Rev. B {\bf 81}, 045105 (2010)]. Using bosonization of a spinon-gauge theory, we study the stability of the SBM phase and its properties under the field. We also explore phases arising from potential instabilities of the SBM; in all cases, we find a gap to spin-1 excitations while spin-nematic correlations are power law. We discuss two-dimensional analogues of these phases where spinons can pair with their own species.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Effects of impurities in Spin Bose-Metal phase on a two-leg triangular strip

We study effects of nonmagnetic impurities in a Spin Bose-Metal (SBM) phase discovered in a two-leg triangular strip spin-1/2 model with ring exchanges (D. N. Shenget al, arXiv:0902.4210). This phase is a quasi-1D descendant of a 2D spin liquid with spinon Fermi sea, and the present study aims at interpolating between the 1D and 2D cases. Different types of defects can be treated as local energy perturbations, which we find are always relevant. As a result, a nonmagnetic impurity generically cuts the system into two decoupled parts. We calculate bond energy and local spin susceptibility near the defect, both of which can be measured in experiments. The Spin Bose-Metal has dominant correlations at characteristic incommensurate wavevectors that are revealed near the defect. Thus, the bond energy shows a static texture oscillating as a function of distance from the defect and decaying as a slow power law. The local spin susceptibility also oscillates and actually {\it increases} as a function of distance from the defect, similar to the effect found in the 1D chain [S. Eggert and I. Affleck, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 75}, 934 (1995)]. We calculate the corresponding power law exponents for the textures as a function of one Luttinger parameter of the SBM theory.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur

Two-band electronic metal and neighboring spin liquid (spin Bose-metal) on a zigzag strip with longer-ranged repulsion

We consider an electronic model for realizing the Spin Bose-metal (SBM) phase on a 2-leg triangular strip --a spin liquid phase found by D. N. Sheng et al [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 79}, 205112 (2009)] in a spin-1/2 model with ring exchanges. The SBM can be viewed as a "C1S2" Mott insulator of electrons where the overall charge transporting mode is gapped out. We start from a two-band "C2S2" metal and consider extended repulsion motivated by recent ab initio derivation of electronic model for $\kappa$-ET spin liquid material [K. Nakamura et al, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. {\bf 78}, 083710(2009)]. Using weak coupling renormalization group analysis, we find that the extended interactions allow much wider C2S2 metallic phase than in the Hubbard model with on-site repulsion only. An eight-fermion Umklapp term plays a crucial role in producing a Mott insulator but can not be treated in weak coupling. We use Bosonization to extend the analysis to intermediate coupling and study phases obtained out of the C2S2 metal upon increasing overall repulsion strength, finding that the SBM phase is a natural outcome for extended interactions.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figure

Insulating phases of electrons on a zigzag strip in the orbital magnetic field

We consider electrons on a two-leg triangular ladder at half-filling and in an orbital magnetic field. In a two-band regime in the absence of the field, the electronic system remains conducting for weak interactions since there is no four-fermion Umklapp term. We find that in the presence of the orbital field there is a four-fermion Umklapp and it is always relevant for repulsive interactions. Thus in this special ladder, the combination of the orbital magnetic field and interactions provides a mechanism to drive metal-insulator transition already at weak coupling. We discuss properties of the possible resulting phases C0S2 and various C0S1 and C0S0.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 2 table

Non-radial Oscillations in Rotating Giant Planets with Solid Cores: Application to Saturn and its Rings

Recent observations have revealed evidence for the global oscillations of Jupiter and Saturn, which can potentially provide a new window into the interior structure of giant planets. Motivated by these observations, we study the non-radial oscillation modes of giant planets containing a solid core. Our calculations include the elastic response of the core and consider a wide range of possible values of the core shear modulus. While the elasticity of the core only slightly changes the frequencies of acoustic modes, which reside mostly in the fluid envelope, it adds two new classes of shear modes that are largely confined to the core. We also calculate the effects of the Coriolis force on the planetary oscillation modes. In addition to changing the mode frequencies, the Coriolis force can cause the shear modes to mix with the f-modes. Such mixing occurs when the frequencies of the shear mode and the f-mode are close to each other, and results in "mixed modes" with similar properties that are slightly split in frequency. We discuss our results in light of the recent work by Hedman & Nicholson (2013), which revealed the presence of density waves in Saturn's C-ring that appear to be excited by the gravitational perturbations associated with the f-mode oscillations within Saturn. We find that the fine splitting in wave frequencies observed in the rings can in principle be explained by the rotation-induced mixing between core shear modes and f-modes, possibly indicating the presence of a solid core within Saturn. However, in our current calculations, which assume rigid-body rotation and include only first-order rotational effects, significant fine-tuning in the planetary model parameters is needed in order to achieve these mode mixings and to explain the observed fine frequency splitting. We briefly discuss other effects that may modify the f-modes and facilitate mode mixing.Comment: 35 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Icaru

Chaotic Dynamics of Stellar Spin in Binaries and the Production of Misaligned Hot Jupiters

Many exoplanetary systems containing hot Jupiters are observed to have highly misaligned orbital axes relative to the stellar spin axes. Kozai-Lidov oscillations of orbital eccentricity/inclination induced by a binary companion, in conjunction with tidal dissipation, is a major channel for the production of hot Jupiters. We demonstrate that gravitational interaction between the planet and its oblate host star can lead to chaotic evolution of the stellar spin axis during Kozai cycles. As parameters such as the planet mass and stellar rotation period vary, periodic islands can appear in an ocean of chaos, in a manner reminiscent of other dynamical systems. In the presence of tidal dissipation, the complex spin evolution can leave an imprint on the final spin-orbit misalignment angles.Comment: 26 pages, 13 figures. Includes supplementary materials. To be published in the September 12, 2014 edition of Science Magazine. For additional information, please visit http://astro.cornell.edu/~dong/sciencepaper.htm

Eccentricity and Spin-Orbit Misalignment in Short-Period Stellar Binaries as a Signpost of Hidden Tertiary Companions

Eclipsing binaries are observed to have a range of eccentricities and spin-orbit misalignments (stellar obliquities). Whether such properties are primordial, or arise from post-formation dynamical interactions remains uncertain. This paper considers the scenario in which the binary is the inner component of a hierarchical triple stellar system, and derives the requirements that the tertiary companion must satisfy in order to raise the eccentricity and obliquity of the inner binary. Through numerical integrations of the secular octupole-order equations of motion of stellar triples, coupled with the spin precession of the oblate primary star due to the torque from the secondary, we obtain a simple, robust condition for producing spin-orbit misalignment in the inner binary: In order to excite appreciable obliquity, the precession rate of the stellar spin axis must be smaller than the orbital precession rate due to the tertiary companion. This yields quantitative requirements on the mass and orbit of the tertiary. We also present new analytic expressions for the maximum eccentricity and range of inclinations allowing eccentricity excitation (Lidov-Kozai window), for stellar triples with arbitrary masses and including the non-Keplerian potentials introduced by general relativity, stellar tides and rotational bulges. The results of this paper can be used to place constraints on unobserved tertiary companions in binaries that exhibit high eccentricity and/or spin-orbit misalignment, and will be helpful in guiding efforts to detect external companions around stellar binaries. As an application, we consider the eclipsing binary DI Herculis, and identify the requirements that a tertiary companion must satisfy to produce the observed spin-orbit misalignment.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA