Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2011-03-07
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia 28(3) 2011, 177-201
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Accepted in PASA, 27 February 2011. 31 pages, 3 Tables, 6 Figures. Publications of Astronomical Society in Australia
Scientific paper
10.1071/AS09062
With the discovery of now more than 500 exoplanets, we present a statistical analysis of the planetary orbital periods and their relationship to the rotation periods of their parent stars. We test whether the structure of planetary orbits, i.e. planetary angular momentum and orbital periods are 'quantized' in integer or half-integer multiples with respect to the parent stars' rotation period. The Solar System is first shown to exhibit quantized planetary orbits that correlate with the Sun's rotation period. The analysis is then expanded over 443 exoplanets to statistically validate this quantization and its association with stellar rotation. The results imply that the exoplanetary orbital periods are highly correlated with the parent star's rotation periods and follow a discrete half-integer relationship with orbital ranks n=0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, etc. The probability of obtaining these results by pure chance is p<0.024. We discuss various mechanisms that could justify this planetary quantization, such as the hybrid gravitational instability models of planet formation, along with possible physical mechanisms such as inner discs magnetospheric truncation, tidal dissipation, and resonance trapping. In conclusion, we statistically demonstrate that a quantized orbital structure should emerge naturally from the formation processes of planetary systems and that this orbital quantization is highly dependent on the parent stars rotation periods.
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