Stability analysis of three exoplanet systems

Abstract

The orbital solutions of published multi-planet systems are not necessarily dynamically stable on timescales comparable to the lifetime of the system as a whole. For this reason, dynamical tests of the architectures of proposed exoplanetary systems are a critical tool to probe the stability and feasibility of the candidate planetary systems, with the potential to point the way towards refined orbital parameters of those planets. Such studies can even help in the identification of additional companions in such systems. Here we examine the dynamical stability of three planetary systems, orbiting HD 67087, HD 110014, and HD 133131A. We use the published radial velocity measurements of the target stars to determine the best-fit orbital solutions for these planetary systems using the Systemic console. We then employ the n-body integrator Mercury to test the stability of a range of orbital solutions lying within 3-$\sigma$ of the nominal best-fit for a duration of 100 Myr. From the results of the n-body integrations, we infer the best-fit orbital parameters using the Bayesian package Astroemperor. We find that both HD 110014 and HD 133131A have long-term stable architectures that lie within the 1-$\sigma$ uncertainties of the nominal best-fit to their previously determined orbital solutions. However, the HD 67087 system exhibits a strong tendency toward instability on short timescales. We compare these results to the predictions made from consideration of the angular momentum deficit criterion, and find that its predictions are consistent with our findings.

9 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

References in corpus (19)

• Seven temperate terrestrial planets around the nearby ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1
• A resonant chain of four transiting, sub-Neptune planets
• The sdB+M Eclipsing System HW Virginis and its Circumbinary Planets
• Constraints on resonant-trapping for two planets embedded in a protoplanetary disc
• Cool Jupiters greatly outnumber their toasty siblings: Occurrence rates from the Anglo-Australian Planet Search
• AMD-stability and the classification of planetary systems
• GJ 832c: A super-earth in the habitable zone
• Three's Company: An additional non-transiting super-Earth in the bright HD 3167 system, and masses for all three planets
• Architectures of Planetary Systems and Implications for their Formation
• The CORALIE survey for southern extrasolar planets XVIII. Three new massive planets and two low mass brown dwarfs at separation larger than 5 AU
• Five New Exoplanets Orbiting Three Metal-Rich, Massive Stars: Two-Planet Systems Including Long-Period Planets, and an Eccentric Planet
• The Magellan PFS Planet Search Program: Radial Velocity and Stellar Abundance Analyses of the 360 AU, Metal-Poor Binary "Twins" HD 133131A & B
• The Pan-Pacific Planet Search. II. Confirmation of a two-planet system around HD 121056
• Detection of Planetary and Stellar Companions to Neighboring Stars via a Combination of Radial Velocity and Direct Imaging Techniques
• Truly eccentric. I. Revisiting eight single-eccentric planetary systems
• The Pan-Pacific Planet Search VII: The most eccentric planet orbiting a giant star
• The Pan-Pacific Planet Search VI: Giant planets orbiting HD 86950 and HD 222076
• The Anglo-Australian Planet Search XXV: A Candidate Massive Saturn Analog Orbiting HD 30177
• Precise radial velocities of giant stars VI. A possible 2:1 resonant planet pair around the K giant star $\eta$ Cet

Cited by in corpus (2)

• Solar System Physics for Exoplanet Research
• System Architecture and Planetary Obliquity: Implications for Long-Term Habitability