On The Existence Of Earth-like Planets In The Circumbinary System Kepler-16

Details On The Existence Of Earth-like Planets In The Circumbinary System Kepler-16 On The Existence Of Earth-like Planets In The Circumbinary System Kepler-16

Jan 2012

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2012aas...21911003q&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #219, #110.03

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

The newly discovered circumbinary system Kepler-16 contains a pair of low-mass stars and a Saturn-mass planet (Doyle et al. 2011) [Science 333, 1602]. A truly fascinating problem is to explore whether Earth-like planets can exist in the habitable zone (HZ) of this unique system. The HZ of this system is mainly due to the primary star and extends from 0.36 AU to 0.71 AU. We have performed extensive numerical studies of long-term orbital stability of Earth-like planets in this HZ by considering both S-type and P-type planetary orbits. The semi-major axis for S-type orbits has been determined as 0.0675 ± 0.0039 AU from the stellar primary. This distance is well inside the inner limit of habitability where the influence of the runaway greenhouse effect becomes important. Consequently, the existence of a habitable Earth-like planet in an S-type orbit is highly unlikely. However it appears possible that such a planet can exist in a P-type orbit inside the HZ thus providing a realistic possibility for long-term evolution of life in this type of system. The obtained results are of special interest because they can assist in the selection process of system candidates in future terrestrial planet search missions.

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