Related papers: Predicting the long-term stability of compact mult…
The ejection of planets by the instability of planetary systems is a potential source of free-floating planets. We numerically simulate multi-planet systems to study the evolution process, the properties of surviving systems, and the…
We report on the orbital architectures of Kepler systems having multiple planet candidates identified in the analysis of data from the first six quarters of Kepler data and reported by Batalha et al. (2013). These data show 899 transiting…
The known extrasolar multiple-planet systems share a surprising dynamical attribute: they cluster just beyond the Hill stability boundary. Here we show that the planet-planet scattering model, which naturally explains the observed exoplanet…
Many fundamental physical processes regarding planetary formation in protoplanetary disks are still imperfectly understood, with an elusive phenomenon being turbulence in such disks. Observations are available of planetary systems and of…
We present a new analytic study of the equilibrium and stability properties of close binary systems containing polytropic components. Our method is based on the use of ellipsoidal trial functions in an energy variational principle. We…
Multi-planet systems around evolved stars are of interest to trace the evolution of planetary systems into the post-main sequence phase. HD 47366, an evolved intermediate mass star, hosts two giant planets on moderately eccentric orbits.…
Doppler planet searches revealed that many giant planets orbit close to their host star or in highly eccentric orbits. These and subsequent observations inspired new theories of planet formation that invoke gravitation interactions in…
Instabilities and strong dynamical interactions between multiple giant planets have been proposed as a possible explanation for the surprising orbital properties of extrasolar planetary systems. In particular, dynamical instabilities seem…
This paper introduces a novel Monte Carlo (MC) method to simulate the evolution of the low-earth orbit environment, enhancing the MIT Orbital Capacity Analysis Tool (MOCAT). In recent decades, numerous space environment models have been…
Recent works suggest that, in multiplanetary systems, a close-in exoplanet can sometimes avoid becoming tidally locked to its host star if it is captured into a secular spin-orbit resonance with a companion planet. In such a resonance, the…
Planet formation simulations consistently predict compact systems of numerous small planets in chains of mean motion resonances formed by planet-disk interaction, but transiting planet surveys have found most systems to be non-resonant and…
Spectroscopic follow-up of dozens of transiting planets has revealed the degree of alignment between the equators of stars and the orbits of the planets they host. Here we determine a method, applicable to spotted stars, that can reveal the…
We study the long-term dynamics of the PSR 1257+12 planetary system. Using the recently determined accurate initial condition by Konacki & Wolszczan (2003) who derived the orbital inclinations and the absolute masses of the planets B and C,…
Due to the chaotic nature of the Solar System, the question of its dynamic long-term stability can only be answered in a statistical sense, e.g. based on numerical ensemble integrations of nearby orbits. Destabilization, including…
Convergent migration involving multiple planets embedded in a viscous protoplanetary disc is expected to produce a chain of planets in mean motion resonances, but the multiplanet systems observed by the Kepler spacecraft are generally not…
We study the dynamical stability of planetary systems consisting of one hypothetical terrestrial mass planet ($1 $ or $10 \mearth$) and one massive planet ($10 \mearth - 10 \mjup$). We consider masses and orbits that cover the range of…
Despite decades of effort, the mechanisms by which the spin axis of a star and the orbital axes of its planets become misaligned remain elusive. Particularly, it is of great interest whether the large spin-orbit misalignments observed are…
A planet orbiting around a star in a binary system can be ejected if it lies too far from its host star. We find that instability boundaries first obtained in numerical studies can be explained by overlap between sub-resonances within…
Recent ALMA observations on disk substructures suggest the presence of embedded protoplanets in a large number disks. The primordial configurations of these planetary systems can be deduced from the morphology of the disk substructure and…
Spectroscopic studies of planets outside of our own solar system provide some of the most crucial information about their formation, evolution, and atmospheric properties. In ground-based spectroscopy, the process of extracting the planet's…