Resonant Periodic Motion and the Stability of Extrasolar Planetary Systems

Families of nearly circular periodic orbits of the planetary type are studied, close to the 3/1 mean motion resonance of the two planets, considered both with finite masses. Large regions of instability appear, depending on the total mass of the planets and on the ratio of their masses.Also, families of resonant periodic orbits at the 2/1 resonance have been studied, for a planetary system where the total mass of the planets is the 4% of the mass of the sun. In particular, the effect of the ratio of the masses on the stability is studied. It is found that a planetary system at this resonance is unstable if the mass of the outer planet is smaller than the mass of the inner planet.Finally, an application has been made for the stability of the observed extrasolar planetary systems HD82943 and Gliese 876, trapped at the 2/1 resonance.     

Symmetric and asymmetric librations in extrasolar planetary systems: a global view

We present a global view of the resonant structure of the phase space of a planetary system with two planets, moving in the same plane, as obtained from the set of the families of periodic orbits. An important tool to understand the topology of the phase space is to determine the position and the stability character of the families of periodic orbits. The region of the phase space close to a stable periodic orbit corresponds to stable, quasi periodic librations. In these regions it is possible for an extrasolar planetary system to exist, or to be trapped following a migration process due to dissipative forces. The mean motion resonances are associated with periodic orbits in a rotating frame, which means that the relative configuration is repeated in space. We start the study with the family of symmetric periodic orbits with nearly circular orbits of the two planets. Along this family the ratio of the periods of the two planets varies, and passes through rational values, which correspond to resonances. At these resonant points we have bifurcations of families of resonant elliptic periodic orbits. There are three topologically different resonances: (1) the resonances (n + 1):n, (2:1, 3:2, ...), (2) the resonances (2n + 1):(2n-1), (3:1, 5:3, ...) and (3) all other resonances. The topology at each one of the above three types of resonances is studied, for different values of the sum and of the ratio of the planetary masses. Both symmetric and asymmetric resonant elliptic periodic orbits exist. In general, the symmetric elliptic families bifurcate from the circular family, and the asymmetric elliptic families bifurcate from the symmetric elliptic families. The results are compared with the position of some observed extrasolar planetary systems. In some cases (e.g., Gliese 876) the observed system lies, with a very good accuracy, on the stable part of a family of resonant periodic orbits.     

The 1/1 resonance in extrasolar systems

We present families of symmetric and asymmetric periodic orbits at the 1/1 resonance, for a planetary system consisting of a star and two small bodies, in comparison to the star, moving in the same plane under their mutual gravitational attraction. The stable 1/1 resonant periodic orbits belong to a family which has a planetary branch, with the two planets moving in nearly Keplerian orbits with non zero eccentricities and a satellite branch, where the gravitational interaction between the two planets dominates the attraction from the star and the two planets form a close binary which revolves around the star. The stability regions around periodic orbits along the family are studied. Next, we study the dynamical evolution in time of a planetary system with two planets which is initially trapped in a stable 1/1 resonant periodic motion, when a drag force is included in the system. We prove that if we start with a 1/1 resonant planetary system with large eccentricities, the system migrates, due to the drag force, along the family of periodic orbits and is finally trapped in a satellite orbit. This, in principle, provides a mechanism for the generation of a satellite system: we start with a planetary system and the final stage is a system where the two small bodies form a close binary whose center of mass revolves around the star.     

Stability of resonant planetary orbits in binary stars

This paper contains a numerical study of the stability of resonant orbits in a planetary system consisting of two planets, moving under the gravitational attraction of a binary star. Its results are expected to provide us with useful information about real planetary systems and, at the same time, about periodic motions in the general four-body problem (G4) because the above system is a special case of G4 where two bodies have much larger masses than the masses of the other two (planets). The numerical results show that the main mechanism which generates instability is the destruction of the Jacobi integrals of the massless planets when their masses become nonzero and that resonances in the motion of planets do not imply, in general, instability. Considerable intervals of stable resonant orbits have been found. The above quantitative results are in agreement with the existing qualitative predictions     

Symmetric and asymmetric 3:1 resonant periodic orbits with an application to the 55Cnc extra-solar system

We study the dynamics of 3:1 resonant motion for planetary systems with two planets, based on the model of the general planar three body problem. The exact mean motion resonance corresponds to periodic motion (in a rotating frame) and the basic families of symmetric and asymmetric periodic orbits are computed. Four symmetric families bifurcate from the family of circular orbits of the two planets. Asymmetric families bifurcate from the symmetric families, at the critical points, where the stability character changes. There exist also asymmetric families that are independent of the above mentioned families. Bounded librations exist close to the stable periodic orbits. Therefore, such periodic orbits (symmetric or asymmetric) determine the possible stable configurations of a 3:1 resonant planetary system, even if the orbits of the two planets intersect. For the masses of the system 55Cnc most of the periodic orbits are unstable and they are associated with chaotic motion. There exist however stable symmetric and asymmetric orbits, corresponding to regular trajectories along which the critical angles librate. The 55Cnc extra-solar system is located in a stable domain of the phase space, centered at an asymmetric periodic orbit.     

The 1/1 resonance in extrasolar planetary systems

We study orbits of planetary systems with two planets, for planar motion, at the 1/1 resonance. This means that the semimajor axes of the two planets are almost equal, but the eccentricities and the position of each planet on its orbit, at a certain epoch, take different values. We consider the general case of different planetary masses and, as a special case, we consider equal planetary masses. We start with the exact resonance, which we define as the 1/1 resonant periodic motion, in a rotating frame, and study the topology of the phase space and the long term evolution of the system in the vicinity of the exact resonance, by rotating the orbit of the outer planet, which implies that the resonance and the eccentricities are not affected, but the symmetry is destroyed. There exist, for each mass ratio of the planets, two families of symmetric periodic orbits, which differ in phase only. One is stable and the other is unstable. In the stable family the planetary orbits are in antialignment and in the unstable family the planetary orbits are in alignment. Along the stable resonant family there is a smooth transition from planetary orbits of the two planets, revolving around the Sun in eccentric orbits, to a close binary of the two planets, whose center of mass revolves around the Sun. Along the unstable family we start with a collinear Euler–Moulton central configuration solution and end to a planetary system where one planet has a circular orbit and the other a Keplerian rectilinear orbit, with unit eccentricity. It is conjectured that due to a migration process it could be possible to start with a 1/1 resonant periodic orbit of the planetary type and end up to a satellite-type orbit, or vice versa, moving along the stable family of periodic orbits.     

Equilibria in the secular, non-co-planar two-planet problem

We investigate the secular dynamics of a planetary system composed of the parent star and two massive planets in mutually inclined orbits. The dynamics are investigated in wide ranges of semimajor axes ratios (0.1–0.667) and planetary masses ratios (0.25–2), as well as in the whole permitted ranges of the energy and total angular momentum. The secular model is constructed by semi-analytic averaging of the three-body system. We focus on equilibria of the secular Hamiltonian (periodic solutions of the full system) and we analyze their stability. We attempt to classify families of these solutions in terms of the angular momentum integral. We identified new equilibria, yet unknown in the literature. Our results are general and may be applied to a wide class of three-body systems, including configurations with a star and brown dwarfs and substellar objects. We also describe some technical aspects of the seminumerical averaging. The HD 12661 planetary system is investigated as an example configuration.     

2/1 resonant periodic orbits in three dimensional planetary systems

We consider the general spatial three body problem and study the dynamics of planetary systems consisting of a star and two planets which evolve into 2/1 mean motion resonance and into inclined orbits. Our study is focused on the periodic orbits of the system given in a suitable rotating frame. The stability of periodic orbits characterize the evolution of any planetary system with initial conditions in their vicinity. Stable periodic orbits are associated with long term regular evolution, while unstable periodic orbits are surrounded by regions of chaotic motion. We compute many families of symmetric periodic orbits by applying two schemes of analytical continuation. In the first scheme, we start from the 2/1 (or 1/2) resonant periodic orbits of the restricted problem and in the second scheme, we start from vertical critical periodic orbits of the general planar problem. Most of the periodic orbits are unstable, but many stable periodic orbits have been, also, found with mutual inclination up to 50^?–60^?, which may be related with the existence of real planetary systems.     

Planet mass stability margin of two-planetary systems

The Lagrange stability of the Sun-Jupiter-Saturn and 47 UMa two-planetary systems at a time scale of 10⁶ yr was studied using the method of averaging. When the masses of Jupiter and Saturn increase by 19 times, these planets can closely converge. The study of Lagrange stability in the case of successive mass increase allows for the obtainment of upper estimates of possible masses of extrasolar planets. Close approachs in the 47 UMa system are possible when minimal masses increase by 38 times. approachs are revealed when analyzing osculating elements; in averaged elements, approachs are absent. Resonant properties of six extrasolar two-planetary systems where the outer planet is less massive than the inner one are studied. The values of semi-major axes of planet orbits in HD 82943 and HD 73526 systems lie in a narrow resonant zone; in 47 UMa, μ Ara and HD 108874 systems lie in a wide resonant zone. In the HD 12661, the system resonances of a lower order were not revealed.     

Resonances in Multiple Planetary Systems

Since the first extrasolar planet was discovered about 10 years ago, a major point of dynamical investigations was the determination of stable regions in extrasolar planetary systems where additional planets may exist. Using numerical methods, we investigate the dynamical stability in known multiple planetary systems (HD74156, HD38529, HD168443, HD169830) with special interest on the region between the two known planets and on the mean motion resonances inside this region. As a dynamical model we take the restricted 4-body problem containing the host star, the two planets and massless test-planets. For our numerical integrations, we used the Lie-integrator and additionally the Fast Lyapunov Indicators as a tool for detecting chaotic motion. We also investigated the inner resonances with the outer planet and the outer resonances with the inner planet with test-planets located inside the resonances.     

The stabilising mechanism of the HD 82943 planetary system

We carry out simulations to investigate the dynamics of the HD 82943 planetary system with two resonant Jupiter-like planets, and to reveal possible stabilizing mechanism for the system. By following different coplanar configurations in the neighborhood of the best-fit orbits, we find that all the stable cases are involved in the 2:1 mean motion resonance and that the alignment of the periastra of the two planets also plays important part in the secular orbital evolution, indicating that these two kinds of mechanisms could be responsible for the dynamics of the system under study.     

Study of dynamical processes at the final stages of planetary system formation: Resonance motion of giant planets

According to current observational data, planets of many exoplanetary systems have resonant motion. The formation of resonance configurations is studied within a unified model of planetary migration. Planets in the observed systems 24 Sex, HD 37124, HD 73526, HD 82943, HD 128311, HD 160691, Kepler 9, NN Ser, which are moving in the 2: 1 resonance, could have been captured into this resonance due to both the Type I and II migration with a wide range of parameters. The migration conditions are defined for the formation of HD 45364 and HD 200964 that are in the 3: 2 and 4: 3 first-order resonances, correspondingly. The results obtained for HD 200964 show that planets can be captured in the first-order resonances, when the outer-to-inner orbital period ratios for the planets are less than 3: 2, only if Type I migration rates are large, and the mass of at least one planet is substantially less than the modern masses of the observed giant planets. The formation of the HD 102272, HD 108874, HD 181433 and HD 202206 systems with planets in high-order resonances is considered. The capture into these resonances can be realized with very slow Type II migration. Possible bounds for migration parameters are considered. In particular, it has been found that the capture of HD 108874 into the 4: 1 resonance is possible only if the angle between the plane of planetary orbits and the plane of sky is appreciably less than 90°, i.e., the planetary masses are a few times larger than the minimum values. The capture of HD 202206 into the 5: 1 resonance is possible at low migration rates; however, another mechanism is required to explain the high observed eccentricity of the inner planet (for example, strong gravitational interaction between the planets). Resonant configurations can be disrupted due to the interaction between planets and remaining fragments of the planetesimal disk as, for example, may occur in the three-planet system 47 UMa. The specific orbital features observed for this system are explained.     

Secular dynamics of the three-body problem: application to the υ Andromedae planetary system

The discovery of extra-solar planetary systems with multiple planets in highly eccentric orbits (∼0.1-0.6), in contrast with our own Solar System, makes classical secular perturbation analysis very limited. In this paper, we use a semi-numerical approach to study the secular behavior of a system composed of a central star and two massive planets in co-planar orbits. We show that the secular dynamics of this system can be described using only two parameters, the ratios of the semi-major axes and the planetary masses. The main dynamical features of the system are presented in geometrical pictures that allows us to investigate a large domain of the phase space of this three-body problem without time-expensive numerical integrations of the equations of motion, and without any restriction on the magnitude of the planetary eccentricities. The topology of the phase space is also investigated in detail by means of spectral map techniques, which allow us to detect the separatrix of a non-linear secular apsidal resonance. Finally, the qualitative study is supplemented by direct numerical integrations. Three different regimes of secular motion with respect to the secular angle Δ? are possible: they are circulation, oscillation (around 0° and 180°), and high eccentricity libration in a non-linear secular resonance. The first two regimes are a continuous extension of the classical linear secular perturbation theory; the last is a new feature, hitherto unknown, in the secular dynamics of the three-body problem. We apply the analysis to the case of the two outer planets in the υ Andromedae system, and obtain its periodic and ordinary orbits, the general structure of its secular phase space, and the boundaries of its secular stability; we find that this system is secularly stable over a large domain of eccentricities. Applying this analysis to a wide range of planetary mass and semi-major axis ratios (centered about the υ Andromedae parameters), we find that apsidal oscillation dominates the secular phase space of the three-body coplanar system, and that the non-linear secular resonance is also a common feature.     

The long-term stability of extrasolar system HD 37124. Numerical study of resonance effects

We describe numerical tools for the stability analysis of extrasolar planetary systems. In particular, we consider the relative Poincaré variables and symplectic integration of the equations of motion. We apply the tangent map to derive a numerically efficient algorithm of the fast indicator Mean Exponential Growth factor of Nearby Orbits (MEGNO), a measure of the maximal Lyapunov exponent, that helps to distinguish chaotic and regular configurations. The results concerning the three-planet extrasolar system HD 37124 are presented and discussed. The best-fitting solutions found in earlier works are studied more closely. The system involves Jovian planets with similar masses. The orbits have moderate eccentricities, nevertheless the best-fitting solutions are found in dynamically active region of the phase space. The long-term stability of the system is determined by a net of low-order two-body and three-body mean motion resonances. In particular, the three-body resonances may induce strong chaos that leads to self-destruction of the system after Myr of apparently stable and bounded evolution. In such a case, numerically efficient dynamical maps are useful to resolve the fine structure of the phase space and to identify the sources of unstable behaviour.     

Limits on the Orbits of Possible Eccentric and Inclined Moons of Extrasolar Planets Orbiting Single Stars

Limits are placed on the range of orbits and masses of possible moons orbiting extrasolar planets which orbit single central stars. The Roche limiting radius determines how close the moon can approach the planet before tidal disruption occurs; while the Hill stability of the star–planet–moon system determines stable orbits of the moon around the planet. Here the full three-body Hill stability is derived for a system with the binary composed of the planet and moon moving on an inclined, elliptical orbit relative the central star. The approximation derived here in Eq. (17) assumes the binary mass is very small compared with the mass of the star and has not previously been applied to this problem and gives the criterion against disruption and component exchange in a closed form. This criterion was applied to transiting extrasolar planetary systems discovered since the last estimation of the critical separations (Donnison in Mon Not R Astron Soc 406:1918, 2010a) for a variety of planet/moon ratios including binary planets, with the moon moving on a circular orbit. The effects of eccentricity and inclination of the binary on the stability of the orbit of a moon is discussed and applied to the transiting extrasolar planets, assuming the same planet/moon ratios but with the moon moving with a variety of eccentricities and inclinations. For the non-zero values of the eccentricity of the moon, the critical separation distance decreased as the eccentricity increased in value. Similarly the critical separation decreased as the inclination increased. In both cases the changes though very small were significant.     

On the relation between resonance and instability in planetary systems

The factors which affect the linear stability of a periodic planetary orbit in the plane are studied. It is proved that planetary systems with two planets describing nearly circular orbits in the same direction are linearly stable and no perturbation exists which destroys the stability, unless a resonance of the form 1/3, 3/5, 5/7, ... among the orbits of the planets occurs. This latter resonant case is always unstable. Retrograde motion is always linearly stable. Planetary systems with three or more planets in nearly circular orbits in the same direction are proved to be unstable, in the sense that a Hamiltonian perturbation always exists which destroys the stability. The generation of instability in the case of three or more planets is not only due to the existence of resonances, as in the case of two planets, but also to the nonexistence of integrals of motion, apart from the energy and angular momentum integrals. It is also proved that planetary systems with nearly elliptic orbits of the planets are unstable.     

Selection Effect in Semimajor Axes of Orbits of Extrasolar Planets

We present a detailed analysis of the distribution of semimajor axes of orbits of extrasolar planets detected by the method of radial velocity measurements. The relation obtained enables one to calculate the probability of the discovery of a planet at a distance r from a star, knowing the masses of the star and the planet and the threshold radial velocity. The selection effect is manifested in the transformation of the distribution functions. A relation is found between the true and observable distributions of the quantity r. The domain of detectability of extrasolar planets is examined under various assumptions about the form of the distribution functions. The available statistical data on observable extrasolar systems are shown to be inadequate to draw detailed conclusions about their structure. Although substantial differences are found between the structures of all detected planetary systems and that of the Solar System, it would be premature to assert the uniqueness of the latter.     

The influence of mutual perturbations on the eccentricity excitation by jet acceleration in extrasolar planetary systems

We study the influence of mutual planetary perturbations on the process of eccentricity excitation by jet acceleration suggested by Namouni (Astron. J. 130, 280–294). Modeling the jet’s action by a constant-direction acceleration, we solve the linear secular equations of the combined planetary perturbations and the jet acceleration of the host star for a two-planet system. The effects of the acceleration’s strength, relative mass ratio and the relative distance of the two planets are investigated. The model is applied to the extrasolar planetary systems of HD 108874, 47 Uma, and HD 12661.     

Orbital Evolution of the Sun–Jupiter–Saturn–Uranus–Neptune Four-Planet System on Long-Time Scales

The four-planet problem is solved by constructing an averaged semi-analytical theory of secondorder motion by planetary masses. A discussion is given of the results obtained by numerical integration of the averaged equations of motion for the Sun–Jupiter–Saturn–Uranus–Neptune system over a time interval of 10 Gyr. The integration is based on high-order Runge–Kutta and Everhart methods. The motion of the planets is almost periodic in nature. The eccentricities and inclinations of the planetary orbits remain small. Short-period perturbations remain small over the entire interval of integration. Conclusions are drawn about the resonant properties of the motion. Estimates are given for the accuracy of the numerical integration.     

Stability of inclined orbits of terrestrial planets in habitable zones

In long-term stability studies of terrestrial planets moving in the habitable zone (HZ) of a sun-like star, we distinguish four different configurations: (i) planets moving in binary star systems, (ii) the inner type (where the gas giant moves outside the HZ), (iii) the outer type (where the gas giant is closer to the star, than the HZ) and (iv) the Trojan type (where the gas giant moves in the HZ). Since earlier calculations indicated, that the stability of the motion in the HZ also depends on the inclination of the terrestrial planet orbits, we present a detailed numerical investigation to show correlations between the eccentricity, the mass and the distance of the giant planet for various inclinations of the terrestrial planets. The orbital stability of the HZ was examined for all four configurations stated above. While we could find hardly any stable orbits for the first three types for inclinations higher than 40^°, the Trojan planets can be stable up to an inclination of 60^°. Additionally, we could also find some stabilizing effects of the inclination for the first three types. As dynamical model we used the elliptic restricted three-body problem, which consists of two massive and one mass-less body. This allows an application to all detected and future extrasolar single planet systems.