skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: PUMPING THE ECCENTRICITY OF EXOPLANETS BY TIDAL EFFECT

Journal Article · · Astrophysical Journal Letters
 [1]; ;  [2]
  1. Department of Physics, I3N, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal)
  2. Astronomie et Systemes Dynamiques, IMCCE-CNRS UMR8028, 77 Av. Denfert-Rochereau, 75014 Paris (France)

Planets close to their host stars are believed to undergo significant tidal interactions, leading to a progressive damping of the orbital eccentricity. Here we show that when the orbit of the planet is excited by an outer companion, tidal effects combined with gravitational interactions may give rise to a secular increasing drift on the eccentricity. As long as this secular drift counterbalances the damping effect, the eccentricity can increase to high values. This mechanism may explain why some of the moderate close-in exoplanets are observed with substantial eccentricity values.

OSTI ID:
22047237
Journal Information:
Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 744, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

SECULAR ORBITAL EVOLUTION OF COMPACT PLANET SYSTEMS
Journal Article · Wed Nov 20 00:00:00 EST 2013 · Astrophysical Journal · OSTI ID:22047237

Exomoons in Systems with a Strong Perturber: Applications to α Cen AB
Journal Article · Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · The Astronomical Journal (Online) · OSTI ID:22047237

Giant Outer Transiting Exoplanet Mass (GOT ‘EM) Survey. II. Discovery of a Failed Hot Jupiter on a 2.7 Yr, Highly Eccentric Orbit
Journal Article · Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · The Astronomical Journal (Online) · OSTI ID:22047237