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Register a new userDynamics of Colombos Top: Tidal Dissipation and Resonance Capture, With Applications to Oblique Super-Earths, Ultra-Short-Period Planets and Inspiraling Hot Jupiters
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We present a comprehensive theoretical study on the spin evolution of a planet under the combined effects of tidal dissipation and gravitational perturbation from an external companion. Such a spin + companion system (called Colombos top) appears in many [exo]planetary contexts. The competition between the tidal torque (which drives spin-orbit alignment and synchronization) and the gravitational torque from the companion (which drives orbital precession of the planet) gives rise to two possible spin equilibria (Tidal Cassini Equilibria, tCE) that are stable and attracting: the simple tCE1, which typically has a low spin obliquity, and the resonant tCE2, which can have a significant obliquity. The latter arises from a spin-orbit resonance and can be broken when the tidal alignment torque is stronger than the precessional torque from the companion. We characterize the long-term evolution of the planetary spin (both magnitude and obliquity) for an arbitrary initial spin orientation, and develop a new theoretical method to analytically obtain the probability of resonance capture driven by tidal dissipation. Applying our general theoretical results to exoplanetary systems, we find that a super-Earth (SE) with an exterior companion can have a substantial probability of being trapped in the high-obliquity tCE2, assuming that SEs have a wide range of primordial obliquities. We also evaluate the recently proposed obliquity tide scenarios for the formation of ultra-short-period Earth-mass planets and for the orbital decay of hot Jupiter WASP-12b. We find in both cases that the probability of resonant capture into tCE2 is generally low and that such a high-obliquity state can be easily broken by the required orbital decay.
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Observations have confirmed the existence of multiple-planet systems containing a hot Jupiter and smaller planetary companions. Examples include WASP-47, Kepler-730, and TOI-1130. We examine the plausibility of forming such systems in situ using $N$-body simulations that include a realistic treatment of collisions, an evolving protoplanetary disc and eccentricity/inclination damping of planetary embryos. Initial conditions are constructed using two different models for the core of the giant planet: a seed-model and an equal-mass-model. The former has a more massive protoplanet placed among multiple small embryos in a compact configuration. The latter consists only of equal-mass embryos. Simulations of the seed-model lead to the formation of systems containing a hot Jupiter and super-Earths. The evolution consistently follows four distinct phases: early giant impacts; runaway gas accretion onto the seed protoplanet; disc damping-dominated evolution of the embryos orbiting exterior to the giant; a late chaotic phase after dispersal of the gas disc. Approximately 1% of the equal-mass simulations form a giant and follow the same four-phase evolution. Synthetic transit observations of the equal-mass simulations provide an occurrence rate of 0.26% for systems containing a hot Jupiter and an inner super-Earth, similar to the 0.2% occurrence rate from actual transit surveys, but simulated hot Jupiters are rarely detected as single transiting planets, in disagreement with observations. A subset of our simulations form two close-in giants, similar to the WASP-148 system. The scenario explored here provides a viable pathway for forming systems with unusual architectures, but does not apply to the majority of hot Jupiters.
We present observations of two bright M dwarfs (TOI-1634 and TOI-1685: $J=9.5-9.6$) hosting ultra-short period (USP) planets, identified by the TESS mission. The two stars are similar in temperature, mass, and radius ($T_mathrm{eff},approx,3500$ K, $M_star,approx,0.45-0.46,M_odot$, and $R_starapprox 0.45-0.46,R_odot$), and the planets are both super-Earth-sized ($1.25,R_oplus<R_p<2.0,R_oplus$). For both systems, light curves from the ground-based photometry exhibit planetary transits, whose depths are consistent with those by the TESS photometry. We also refine the transit ephemerides based on the ground-based photometry, finding the orbital periods of $P=0.9893436pm0.0000020$ day and $P=0.6691416pm0.0000019$ day for TOI-1634b and TOI-1685b, respectively. Through intensive radial velocity (RV) observations using IRD on the Subaru 8.2m telescope, we confirm the planetary nature of the TOIs, and measure their masses: $10.14pm0.95,M_oplus$ and $3.43pm0.93,M_oplus$ for TOI-1634b and TOI-1685b, respectively, when the observed RVs are fitted with a single-planet circular-orbit model. Combining those with the planet radii of $R_p=1.749pm 0.079,R_oplus$ (TOI-1634b) and $1.459pm0.065,R_oplus$ (TOI-1685b), we find that both USP planets have mean densities consistent with an Earth-like internal composition, which is typical for small USP planets. TOI-1634b is currently the most massive USP planet in this category, and it resides near the radius valley, which makes it a benchmark planet in the context of discussing the size limit of rocky planet cores as well as testing the formation scenarios for USP planets. Excess scatter in the RV residuals for TOI-1685 suggests the presence of a possible secondary planet or unknown activity/instrumental noise in the RV data, but further observations are required to check those possibilities.
We announce the discovery of KELT-16b, a highly irradiated, ultra-short period hot Jupiter transiting the relatively bright ($V = 11.7$) star TYC 2688-1839-1. A global analysis of the system shows KELT-16 to be an F7V star with $T_textrm{eff} = 6236pm54$ K, $log{g_star} = 4.253_{-0.036}^{+0.031}$, [Fe/H] = -0.002$_{-0.085}^{+0.086}$, $M_star = 1.211_{-0.046}^{+0.043} M_odot$, and $R_star = 1.360_{-0.053}^{+0.064} R_odot$. The planet is a relatively high mass inflated gas giant with $M_textrm{P} = 2.75_{-0.15}^{+0.16} M_textrm{J}$, $R_textrm{P} = 1.415_{-0.067}^{+0.084} R_textrm{J}$, density $rho_textrm{P} = 1.20pm0.18$ g cm$^{-3}$, surface gravity $log{g_textrm{P}} = 3.530_{-0.049}^{+0.042}$, and $T_textrm{eq} = 2453_{-47}^{+55}$ K. The best-fitting linear ephemeris is $T_textrm{C} = 2457247.24791pm0.00019$ BJD$_{tdb}$ and $P = 0.9689951 pm 0.0000024$ d. KELT-16b joins WASP-18b, -19b, -43b, -103b, and HATS-18b as the only giant transiting planets with $P < 1$ day. Its ultra-short period and high irradiation make it a benchmark target for atmospheric studies by HST, Spitzer, and eventually JWST. For example, as a hotter, higher mass analog of WASP-43b, KELT-16b may feature an atmospheric temperature-pressure inversion and day-to-night temperature swing extreme enough for TiO to rain out at the terminator. KELT-16b could also join WASP-43b in extending tests of the observed mass-metallicity relation of the Solar System gas giants to higher masses. KELT-16b currently orbits at a mere $sim$ 1.7 Roche radii from its host star, and could be tidally disrupted in as little as a few $times 10^{5}$ years (for a stellar tidal quality factor of $Q_* = 10^5$). Finally, the likely existence of a widely separated bound stellar companion in the KELT-16 system makes it possible that Kozai-Lidov oscillations played a role in driving KELT-16b inward to its current precarious orbit.
We examine the radius evolution of close-in giant planets with a planet evolution model that couples the orbital-tidal and thermal evolution. For 45 transiting systems, we compute a large grid of cooling/contraction paths forward in time, starting from a large phase space of initial semi-major axes and eccentricities. Given observational constraints at the current time for a given planet (semi-major axis, eccentricity, and system age) we find possible evolutionary paths that match these constraints, and compare the calculated radii to observations. We find that tidal evolution has two effects. First, planets start their evolution at larger semi-major axis, allowing them to contract more efficiently at earlier times. Second, tidal heating can significantly inflate the radius when the orbit is being circularized, but this effect on the radius is short-lived thereafter. Often circularization of the orbit is proceeded by a long period while the semi-major axis slowly decreases. Some systems with previously unexplained large radii that we can reproduce with our coupled model are HAT-P-7, HAT-P-9, WASP-10, and XO-4. This increases the number of planets for which we can match the radius from 24 (of 45) to as many as 35 for our standard case, but for some of these systems we are required to be viewing them at a special time around the era of current radius inflation. This is a concern for the viability of tidal inflation as a general mechanism to explain most inflated radii. Also, large initial eccentricities would have to be common. We also investigate the evolution of models that have a floor on the eccentricity, as may be due to a perturber. In this scenario we match the extremely large radius of WASP-12b. (Abridged)
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