Can Cold Jupiters Sculpt the Edge-of-the-multis?

Compact systems of multiple close-in super-Earths/sub-Neptunes ( compact multis ) are a ubiquitous outcome of planet formation. It was recently discovered that the outer edges of compact multis are located at smaller orbital periods than expected from geometric and detection biases alone, suggesting...

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Main Authors: Nicole Sobski, Sarah C. Millholland
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2023-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ace966
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author Nicole Sobski
Sarah C. Millholland
author_facet Nicole Sobski
Sarah C. Millholland
author_sort Nicole Sobski
collection DOAJ
description Compact systems of multiple close-in super-Earths/sub-Neptunes ( compact multis ) are a ubiquitous outcome of planet formation. It was recently discovered that the outer edges of compact multis are located at smaller orbital periods than expected from geometric and detection biases alone, suggesting some truncation or transition in the outer architectures. Here we test whether this edge-of-the-multis might be explained in any part by distant giant planets in the outer regions (≳1 au) of the systems. We investigate the dynamical stability of observed compact multis in the presence of hypothetical giant (≳0.5 M _Jup ) perturbing planets. We identify what parameters would be required for hypothetical perturbing planets if they were responsible for dynamically sculpting the outer edges of compact multis. Edge-sculpting perturbers are generally in the range of P ∼ 100–500 days for the average compact multi, with most between P ∼ 200 and 300 days. Given the relatively close separation, we explore the detectability of the hypothetical edge-sculpting perturbing planets, finding that they would be readily detectable in transit and radial velocity data. We compare to observational constraints and find it unlikely that dynamical sculpting from distant giant planets contributes significantly to the edge-of-the-multis. However, this conclusion could be strengthened in future work by a more thorough analysis of the detection yields of the perturbing planets.
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spelling doaj.art-aed64e2351284b7bb9ccc025ae718fb32023-08-31T10:10:02ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572023-01-01954213710.3847/1538-4357/ace966Can Cold Jupiters Sculpt the Edge-of-the-multis?Nicole Sobski0Sarah C. Millholland1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3130-2282Department of Computer Science, Wellesley College , Wellesley, MA 02481, USA; Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, MA 02139, USAKavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, MA 02139, USACompact systems of multiple close-in super-Earths/sub-Neptunes ( compact multis ) are a ubiquitous outcome of planet formation. It was recently discovered that the outer edges of compact multis are located at smaller orbital periods than expected from geometric and detection biases alone, suggesting some truncation or transition in the outer architectures. Here we test whether this edge-of-the-multis might be explained in any part by distant giant planets in the outer regions (≳1 au) of the systems. We investigate the dynamical stability of observed compact multis in the presence of hypothetical giant (≳0.5 M _Jup ) perturbing planets. We identify what parameters would be required for hypothetical perturbing planets if they were responsible for dynamically sculpting the outer edges of compact multis. Edge-sculpting perturbers are generally in the range of P ∼ 100–500 days for the average compact multi, with most between P ∼ 200 and 300 days. Given the relatively close separation, we explore the detectability of the hypothetical edge-sculpting perturbing planets, finding that they would be readily detectable in transit and radial velocity data. We compare to observational constraints and find it unlikely that dynamical sculpting from distant giant planets contributes significantly to the edge-of-the-multis. However, this conclusion could be strengthened in future work by a more thorough analysis of the detection yields of the perturbing planets.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ace966Exoplanet dynamicsExoplanet astronomyExoplanet formationExoplanet systemsExoplanetsExtrasolar gaseous planets
spellingShingle Nicole Sobski
Sarah C. Millholland
Can Cold Jupiters Sculpt the Edge-of-the-multis?
The Astrophysical Journal
Exoplanet dynamics
Exoplanet astronomy
Exoplanet formation
Exoplanet systems
Exoplanets
Extrasolar gaseous planets
title Can Cold Jupiters Sculpt the Edge-of-the-multis?
title_full Can Cold Jupiters Sculpt the Edge-of-the-multis?
title_fullStr Can Cold Jupiters Sculpt the Edge-of-the-multis?
title_full_unstemmed Can Cold Jupiters Sculpt the Edge-of-the-multis?
title_short Can Cold Jupiters Sculpt the Edge-of-the-multis?
title_sort can cold jupiters sculpt the edge of the multis
topic Exoplanet dynamics
Exoplanet astronomy
Exoplanet formation
Exoplanet systems
Exoplanets
Extrasolar gaseous planets
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ace966
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