Statistics
Scientific paper
Jan 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011aas...21742909m&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #217, #429.09; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 43, 2011
Statistics
Scientific paper
The now-completed Palomar High-precision Astrometric Search for Exoplanet Systems (PHASES) used phase-referenced long-baseline interferometry to monitor 51 binary systems with 35 micro-arcsecond measurement precision, resulting in the high-confidence detection of a planet in the HR 7162 system. The 1.5 Jupiter mass planet is in a 2 AU orbit around one of the stars, whereas the binary itself has a separation of only 19 AU. Despite the close stellar companion, this configuration is expected to be stable, based on dynamic simulations. In the context of our solar system, this is analogous to a Jovian planet just outside of Mars' orbit, with a second star at the distance of Uranus. If this configuration were present during the period of planet formation, the complex gravitational environment created by the stars would seem to disrupt planet formation mechanisms that require long times to complete (thousands of years or more). While it is possible the arrangement resulted from the planet being formed in another environment (a single star or wider binary) after which the system reached its current state via dynamic interactions (star-planet exchange with a binary, or the binary orbit shrinking by interacting with a passing star), the frequency of such interactions is very low. Because the PHASES search only had the sensitivity to rule out Jovian mass companions in 11 of our 51 systems, yet one such system was found, the result indicates either extreme luck or that there is a high frequency of 20 AU binaries hosting planets. The latter interpretation is supported by previous detections of planets in 5-6 additional 20 AU binaries in other surveys (though with less control over the statistics for determining frequency of occurrence). Thus, there is observational support suggesting that a mechanism for rapid Jovian planet formation occurs in nature.
Boss Alan P.
Burke Bernard F.
Colavita Mark M.
Fekel Francis C.
Hartkopf William I.
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