Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2007-03-01
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
10 pages, 2 figures, accepted to ApJ Letters
Scientific paper
10.1086/516824
Planets in extrasolar systems tend to interact such that their orbits lie near a boundary between apsidal libration and circulation, a "separatrix", with one eccentricity periodically reaching near-zero. One explanation, applied to the Upsilon Andromedae system, assumed three original planets on circular orbits. One is ejected, leaving the other two with near-separatrix behavior. We test that model by integrating hundreds of hypothetical, unstable planetary systems that eject a planet. We find that the probability that the remaining planets exhibit near-separatrix motion is small (< 5% compared with nearly 50% of observed systems). Moreover, while observed librating systems are evenly divided between aligned and anti-aligned pericenter longitudes, the scattering model strongly favors alignment. Alternative scattering theories are proposed, which may provide a more satisfactory fit with observed systems.
Barnes Rory
Greenberg Richard
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