scholarly journals Planetary systems in a star cluster I: the Solar system scenario

2019 ◽  
Vol 489 (2) ◽  
pp. 2280-2297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Flammini Dotti ◽  
M B N Kouwenhoven ◽  
Maxwell Xu Cai ◽  
Rainer Spurzem
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Planetary System ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Star Clusters ◽  
Planetary Systems ◽  
Star Cluster ◽  
Habitable Zone ◽  
Escape Process ◽  
Exoplanet Systems ◽  
High Diversity

ABSTRACTYoung stars are mostly found in dense stellar environments, and even our own Solar system may have formed in a star cluster. Here, we numerically explore the evolution of planetary systems similar to our own Solar system in star clusters. We investigate the evolution of planetary systems in star clusters. Most stellar encounters are tidal, hyperbolic, and adiabatic. A small fraction of the planetary systems escape from the star cluster within 50 Myr; those with low escape speeds often remain intact during and after the escape process. While most planetary systems inside the star cluster remain intact, a subset is strongly perturbed during the first 50 Myr. Over the course of time, $0.3\!-\!5.3{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of the planets escape, sometimes up to tens of millions of years after a stellar encounter occurred. Survival rates are highest for Jupiter, while Uranus and Neptune have the highest escape rates. Unless directly affected by a stellar encounter itself, Jupiter frequently serves as a barrier that protects the terrestrial planets from perturbations in the outer planetary system. In low-density environments, Jupiter provides protection from perturbations in the outer planetary system, while in high-density environments, direct perturbations of Jupiter by neighbouring stars is disruptive to habitable-zone planets. The diversity amongst planetary systems that is present in the star clusters at 50 Myr, and amongst the escaping planetary systems, is high, which contributes to explaining the high diversity of observed exoplanet systems in star clusters and in the Galactic field.

scholarly journals On the survival of resonant and non-resonant planetary systems in star clusters

2020 ◽  
Vol 497 (2) ◽  
pp. 1807-1825
Author(s):  
Katja Stock ◽  
Maxwell X Cai ◽  
Rainer Spurzem ◽  
M B N Kouwenhoven ◽  
Simon Portegies Zwart
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Star Clusters ◽  
Planetary Systems ◽  
Dynamical Evolution ◽  
Giant Planets ◽  
Mean Motion Resonances ◽  
Orbital Parameters ◽  
Eccentric Orbits ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Exoplanet Systems

ABSTRACT Despite the discovery of thousands of exoplanets in recent years, the number of known exoplanets in star clusters remains tiny. This may be a consequence of close stellar encounters perturbing the dynamical evolution of planetary systems in these clusters. Here, we present the results from direct N-body simulations of multiplanetary systems embedded in star clusters containing N = 8k, 16k, 32k, and 64k stars. The planetary systems, which consist of the four Solar system giant planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, are initialized in different orbital configurations, to study the effect of the system architecture on the dynamical evolution of the entire planetary system, and on the escape rate of the individual planets. We find that the current orbital parameters of the Solar system giants (with initially circular orbits, as well as with present-day eccentricities) and a slightly more compact configuration, have a high resilience against stellar perturbations. A configuration with initial mean-motion resonances of 3:2, 3:2, and 5:4 between the planets, which is inspired by the Nice model, and for which the two outermost planets are usually ejected within the first 105 yr, is in many cases stabilized due to the removal of the resonances by external stellar perturbation and by the rapid ejection of at least one planet. Assigning all planets the same mass of 1 MJup almost equalizes the survival fractions. Our simulations reproduce the broad diversity amongst observed exoplanet systems. We find not only many very wide and/or eccentric orbits, but also a significant number of (stable) retrograde orbits.

scholarly journals Is our Sun a Singleton?

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S246) ◽  
pp. 273-274
Author(s):  
D. Malmberg ◽  
M. B. Davies ◽  
J. E. Chambers ◽  
F. De Angeli ◽  
R. P. Church ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Binary System ◽  
Solar System ◽  
Planetary System ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Planetary Systems ◽  
Number Density ◽  
Single Star ◽  
Close Encounters ◽  
Eccentric Orbits ◽  
Exoplanet Systems

AbstractMost stars are formed in a cluster or association, where the number density of stars can be high. This means that a large fraction of initially-single stars will undergo close encounters with other stars and/or exchange into binaries. We describe how such close encounters and exchange encounters can affect the properties of a planetary system around a single star. We define a singleton as a single star which has never suffered close encounters with other stars or spent time within a binary system. It may be that planetary systems similar to our own solar system can only survive around singletons. Close encounters or the presence of a stellar companion will perturb the planetary system, often leaving planets on tighter and more eccentric orbits. Thus planetary systems which initially resembled our own solar system may later more closely resemble some of the observed exoplanet systems.

scholarly journals The Cumulative Effect of Stellar Encounters on Multi-Planet Systems in Star Clusters

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S293) ◽  
pp. 171-173
Author(s):  
Wei Hao ◽  
M. B. N. Kouwenhoven
Keyword(s):  
Planetary System ◽  
Star Clusters ◽  
Planetary Systems ◽  
Dynamical Evolution ◽  
Cumulative Effect ◽  
Star Cluster ◽  
Secular Evolution ◽  
Perturbed System ◽  
Orbital Periods

AbstractDistant stellar encouters can substantially affect the dynamical evolution of existing stellar and planetary systems (e.g., Malmberg et al. 2007; Spurzem et al. 2009). Although planets with small orbital periods are not directly affected by encountering stars, the secular evolution of a perturbed system may result in the ejection of the innermost planets, or physical collisions between the innermost planets and the host star, hundreds of thousands of years after a weak encounter with a neighboring star occurs. Here we present the results of our study on the cumulative effect of distant stellar encounters on multi-planet systems in star clusters, and how these results depend on the properties of the star cluster in which a planetary system is born (for details we refer to Hao & Kouwenhoven, in prep.). With our simulations we explain the scarcity of exoplanets in star clusters, not only for those in wide orbits (affected by stellar encounters), but also in close orbits (affected by the secular evolution of the system following an encounter).

scholarly journals Resilient habitability of nearby exoplanet systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 492 (1) ◽  
pp. 352-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgi Kokaia ◽  
Melvyn B Davies ◽  
Alexander J Mustill
Keyword(s):  
Giant Planet ◽  
Planetary Systems ◽  
Observational Constraints ◽  
Habitable Zone ◽  
Habitable Zones ◽  
Test Particles ◽  
Planetary Orbits ◽  
Two Systems ◽  
Earth Like Planets ◽  
Exoplanet Systems

ABSTRACT We investigate the possibility of finding Earth-like planets in the habitable zone of 34 nearby FGK-dwarfs, each known to host one giant planet exterior to their habitable zone detected by RV. First we simulate the dynamics of the planetary systems in their present day configurations and determine the fraction of stable planetary orbits within their habitable zones. Then, we postulate that the eccentricity of the giant planet is a result of an instability in their past during which one or more other planets were ejected from the system. We simulate these scenarios and investigate whether planets orbiting in the habitable zone survive the instability. Explicitly we determine the fraction of test particles, originally found in the habitable zone, which remain in the habitable zone today. We label this fraction the resilient habitability of a system. We find that for most systems the probability of planets existing [or surviving] on stable orbits in the habitable zone becomes significantly smaller when we include a phase of instability in their history. We present a list of candidate systems with high resilient habitability for future observations. These are: HD 95872, HD 154345, HD 102843, HD 25015, GJ 328, HD 6718, and HD 150706. The known planets in the last two systems have large observational uncertainties on their eccentricities, which propagate into large uncertainties on their resilient habitability. Further observational constraints of these two eccentricities will allow us to better constrain the survivability of Earth-like planets in these systems.

scholarly journals Turning solar systems into extrasolar planetary systems in stellar clusters

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (S276) ◽  
pp. 304-307
Author(s):  
Melvyn B. Davies
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Planetary System ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Planetary Systems ◽  
Single Star ◽  
Solar Systems ◽  
Close Encounters ◽  
Eccentric Orbits ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Hostile Environments

AbstractMany stars are formed in some form of cluster or association. These environments can have a much higher number density of stars than the field of the galaxy. Such crowded places are hostile environments: a large fraction of initially single stars will undergo close encounters with other stars or exchange into binaries. We describe how such close encounters and exchange encounters will affect the properties of a planetary system around a single star. We define singletons as single stars which have never suffered close encounters with other stars or spent time within a binary system. It may be that planetary systems similar to our own solar system can only survive around singletons. Close encounters or the presence of a stellar companion will perturb the planetary system, leading to strong planet-planet interactions, often leaving planets on tighter and more eccentric orbits. Thus, planetary systems which initially resembled our own solar system may later more closely resemble the observed extrasolar planetary systems.

scholarly journals Close encounters with the Death Star: Interactions between collapsed bodies and the Solar System

2021 ◽  
Vol 648 ◽  
pp. L2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Václav Pavlík ◽  
Steven N. Shore
Keyword(s):  
Black Hole ◽  
Neutron Star ◽  
Solar System ◽  
Planetary System ◽  
Planetary Systems ◽  
Symplectic Integrator ◽  
Orbital Parameters ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
Complete Disruption

Aims. We aim to investigate the consequences of a fast massive stellar remnant – a black hole (BH) or a neutron star (NS) – encountering a planetary system. Methods. We modelled a close encounter between the actual Solar System (SS) and a 2 M⊙ NS and a 10 M⊙ BH, using a few-body symplectic integrator. We used a range of impact parameters, orbital phases at the start of the simulation derived from the current SS orbital parameters, encounter velocities, and incidence angles relative to the plane of the SS. Results. We give the distribution of possible outcomes, such as when the SS remains bound, when it suffers a partial or complete disruption, and in which cases the intruder is able to capture one or more planets, yielding planetary systems around a BH or a NS. We also show examples of the long-term stability of the captured planetary systems.

scholarly journals Fly-by encounters between two planetary systems I: Solar system analogues

2019 ◽  
Vol 488 (1) ◽  
pp. 1366-1376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daohai Li ◽  
Alexander J Mustill ◽  
Melvyn B Davies
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Planetary System ◽  
Planetary Systems ◽  
Open Clusters ◽  
Giant Planets ◽  
Direct Imaging ◽  
Solar Mass ◽  
Close Encounters ◽  
Large Numbers

ABSTRACTStars formed in clusters can encounter other stars at close distances. In typical open clusters in the Solar neighbourhood containing hundreds or thousands of member stars, 10–20 per cent of Solar-mass member stars are expected to encounter another star at distances closer than 100 au. These close encounters strongly perturb the planetary systems, directly causing ejection of planets or their capture by the intruding star, as well as exciting the orbits. Using extensive N-body simulations, we study such fly-by encounters between two Solar system analogues, each with four giant planets from Jupiter to Neptune. We quantify the rates of loss and capture immediately after the encounter, e.g. the Neptune analogue is lost in one in four encounters within 100 au, and captured by the flying-by star in 1 in 12 encounters. We then perform long-term (up to 1 Gyr) simulations investigating the ensuing post-encounter evolution. We show that large numbers of planets are removed from systems due to planet–planet interactions and that captured planets further enhance the system instability. While encounters can initially leave a planetary system containing more planets by inserting additional ones, the long-term instability causes a net reduction in planet number. A captured planet ends up on a retrograde orbit in half of the runs in which it survives for 1Gyr; also, a planet bound to its original host star but flipped during the encounter may survive. Thus, encounters between planetary systems are a channel to create counter-rotating planets, This would happen in around 1 per cent of systems, and such planets are potentially detectable through astrometry or direct imaging.

scholarly journals Survivability of planetary systems in young and dense star clusters

2019 ◽  
Vol 624 ◽  
pp. A120 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. van Elteren ◽  
S. Portegies Zwart ◽  
I. Pelupessy ◽  
M. X. Cai ◽  
S. L. W. McMillan
Keyword(s):  
Mass Distribution ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Star Clusters ◽  
Planetary Systems ◽  
Circumstellar Disks ◽  
Star Cluster ◽  
Software Environment ◽  
Small Perturbations ◽  
Mass Distributions ◽  
Orion Trapezium

Aims. We perform a simulation using the Astrophysical Multipurpose Software Environment of the Orion Trapezium star cluster in which the evolution of the stars and the dynamics of planetary systems are taken into account. Methods. The initial conditions from earlier simulations were selected in which the size and mass distributions of the observed circumstellar disks in this cluster are satisfactorily reproduced. Four, five, or size planets per star were introduced in orbit around the 500 solar-like stars with a maximum orbital separation of 400 au. Results. Our study focuses on the production of free-floating planets. A total of 357 become unbound from a total of 2522 planets in the initial conditions of the simulation. Of these, 281 leave the cluster within the crossing timescale of the star cluster; the others remain bound to the cluster as free-floating intra-cluster planets. Five of these free-floating intra-cluster planets are captured at a later time by another star. Conclusions. The two main mechanisms by which planets are lost from their host star, ejection upon a strong encounter with another star or internal planetary scattering, drive the evaporation independent of planet mass of orbital separation at birth. The effect of small perturbations due to slow changes in the cluster potential are important for the evolution of planetary systems. In addition, the probability of a star to lose a planet is independent of the planet mass and independent of its initial orbital separation. As a consequence, the mass distribution of free-floating planets is indistinguishable from the mass distribution of planets bound to their host star.

scholarly journals The Drake equation may need new factors based on peculiarities of planets of Sun-like stars

2004 ◽  
Vol 202 ◽  
pp. 458-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. V. Ksanfomality
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Planetary Systems ◽  
Habitable Zone ◽  
Unique Object ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Limited Statistic

N = RsfpneflfifcL. This well known Drake equation denoting the number N of civilizations in the Galaxy, includes a factor fp that is the fraction of stars that have planetary systems, and another factor ne that is the mean number of planets suitable for life. The latter is usually understood as the number of planets within the habitable zone. When the Solar system remained a unique object of its kind the sense of fp and ne seemed to be clear. There is now a limited statistic in hand about the features of other planetary systems, permitting a rough estimation of fp and ne (based on the list of 32 star companions, compiled by G. Marcy, 14.02.2000).

scholarly journals On secular resonances of small bodies in the planetary systems

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S236) ◽  
pp. 77-84
Author(s):  
Jianghui Ji ◽  
L. Liu ◽  
G. Y. Li
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Planetary System ◽  
Planetary Systems ◽  
Giant Planets ◽  
Small Bodies ◽  
Secular Resonances ◽  
Mean Motion Resonances ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Habitable Zones ◽  
Earth Like Planets

AbstractWe investigate the secular resonances for massless small bodies and Earth-like planets in several planetary systems. We further compare the results with those of Solar System. For example, in the GJ 876 planetary system, we show that the secular resonances ν1 and ν2 (respectively, resulting from the inner and outer giant planets) can excite the eccentricities of the Earth-like planets with orbits 0.21≤ a <0.50 AU and eject them out of the system in a short timescale. However, in a dynamical sense, the potential zones for the existence of Earth-like planets are in the area 0.50≤ a ≤1.00 AU, and there exist all stable orbits last up to 105 yr with low eccentricities. For other systems, e.g., 47 UMa, we also show that the Habitable Zones for Earth-like planets are related to both secular resonances and mean motion resonances in the systems.

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