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Journal articles
Gas giant planets as dynamical barriers to inward-migrating super-Earths
Abstract : Planets of 1-4 times Earth's size on orbits shorter than 100 days exist around 30-50% of all Sun-like stars. In fact, the Solar System is particularly outstanding in its lack of "hot super-Earths" (or "mini-Neptunes"). These planets -- or their building blocks -- may have formed on wider orbits and migrated inward due to interactions with the gaseous protoplanetary disk. Here, we use a suite of dynamical simulations to show that gas giant planets act as barriers to the inward migration of super-Earths initially placed on more distant orbits. Jupiter's early formation may have prevented Uranus and Neptune (and perhaps Saturn's core) from becoming hot super-Earths. Our model predicts that the populations of hot super-Earth systems and Jupiter-like planets should be anti-correlated: gas giants (especially if they form early) should be rare in systems with many hot super-Earths. Testing this prediction will constitute a crucial assessment of the validity of the migration hypothesis for the origin of close-in super-Earths.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01110527
Contributor : Marie-Paule Pomies <>
Submitted on : Wednesday, January 28, 2015 - 1:47:54 PM
Last modification on : Tuesday, May 26, 2020 - 6:50:18 PM
Contributor : Marie-Paule Pomies <>
Submitted on : Wednesday, January 28, 2015 - 1:47:54 PM
Last modification on : Tuesday, May 26, 2020 - 6:50:18 PM
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