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Do instabilities in high-multiplicity systems explain the existence of close-in white dwarf planets?

Maldonado, R. F. ; Villaver, E. ; Mustill, A. J. LU orcid ; Chávez, M. and Bertone, E. (2021) In Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters 501(1). p.43-48
Abstract

We investigate the origin of close-in planets and related phenomena orbiting white dwarfs (WDs), which are thought to originate from orbits more distant from the star. We use the planetary architectures of the 75 multiple-planet systems (four, five, and six planets) detected orbiting main-sequence stars to build 750 dynamically analogous templates that we evolve to the WD phase. Our exploration of parameter space, although not exhaustive, is guided and restricted by observations and we find that the higher the multiplicity of the planetary system, the more likely it is to have a dynamical instability (losing planets, orbit crossing, and scattering), that eventually will send a planet (or small object) through a close periastron passage.... (More)

We investigate the origin of close-in planets and related phenomena orbiting white dwarfs (WDs), which are thought to originate from orbits more distant from the star. We use the planetary architectures of the 75 multiple-planet systems (four, five, and six planets) detected orbiting main-sequence stars to build 750 dynamically analogous templates that we evolve to the WD phase. Our exploration of parameter space, although not exhaustive, is guided and restricted by observations and we find that the higher the multiplicity of the planetary system, the more likely it is to have a dynamical instability (losing planets, orbit crossing, and scattering), that eventually will send a planet (or small object) through a close periastron passage. Indeed, the fraction of unstable four- to six-planet simulations is comparable to the 25-50 per cent fraction of WDs having atmospheric pollution. Additionally, the onset of instability in the four- to six-planet configurations peaks in the first Gyr of the WD cooling time, decreasing thereafter. Planetary multiplicity is a natural condition to explain the presence of close-in planets to WDs, without having to invoke the specific architectures of the system or their migration through the von Zeipel-Lidov-Kozai effects from binary companions or their survival through the common envelope phase.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
circumstellar matter, Kuiper Belt: general, planetary systems, planets and satellites: dynamical evolution and stability, stars: AGB and post-AGB, white dwarfs
in
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
volume
501
issue
1
pages
43 - 48
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85099360328
ISSN
1745-3925
DOI
10.1093/mnrasl/slaa193
project
A unified picture of white dwarf planetary systems
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
6bf8c096-f045-44c0-b237-1020f76ee45b
alternative location
https://arxiv.org/abs/2010.11403
date added to LUP
2021-01-25 08:51:41
date last changed
2024-04-18 01:48:55
@article{6bf8c096-f045-44c0-b237-1020f76ee45b,
  abstract     = {{<p>We investigate the origin of close-in planets and related phenomena orbiting white dwarfs (WDs), which are thought to originate from orbits more distant from the star. We use the planetary architectures of the 75 multiple-planet systems (four, five, and six planets) detected orbiting main-sequence stars to build 750 dynamically analogous templates that we evolve to the WD phase. Our exploration of parameter space, although not exhaustive, is guided and restricted by observations and we find that the higher the multiplicity of the planetary system, the more likely it is to have a dynamical instability (losing planets, orbit crossing, and scattering), that eventually will send a planet (or small object) through a close periastron passage. Indeed, the fraction of unstable four- to six-planet simulations is comparable to the 25-50 per cent fraction of WDs having atmospheric pollution. Additionally, the onset of instability in the four- to six-planet configurations peaks in the first Gyr of the WD cooling time, decreasing thereafter. Planetary multiplicity is a natural condition to explain the presence of close-in planets to WDs, without having to invoke the specific architectures of the system or their migration through the von Zeipel-Lidov-Kozai effects from binary companions or their survival through the common envelope phase. </p>}},
  author       = {{Maldonado, R. F. and Villaver, E. and Mustill, A. J. and Chávez, M. and Bertone, E.}},
  issn         = {{1745-3925}},
  keywords     = {{circumstellar matter; Kuiper Belt: general; planetary systems; planets and satellites: dynamical evolution and stability; stars: AGB and post-AGB; white dwarfs}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{43--48}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters}},
  title        = {{Do instabilities in high-multiplicity systems explain the existence of close-in white dwarf planets?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slaa193}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/mnrasl/slaa193}},
  volume       = {{501}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}