The Dynamical History of the Kepler-221 Planet System
Kepler-221 is a G-type star hosting four planets. In this system, planets b, c, and e are in (or near) a 6:3:1 three-body resonance even though the planets’ period ratios show significant departures from exact two-body commensurability. Importantly, the intermediate planet d is not part of the resonance chain.
To reach this resonance configuration, we propose a scenario in which there were originally five planets in the system in a chain of first-order resonances. After disk dispersal, the resonance chain became unstable and two planets quickly merged to become the current planet d. In addition, the b/c/e three-body resonance was re-established. We run N-body simulations using REBOUND to investigate the parameter space under which this scenario can operate.
We find that our envisioned scenario is possible when certain conditions are met. First, the reformation of the three-body resonance after planet merging requires convergent migration between planets b and c. Second, as has previously pointed out, an efficient damping mechanism must operate to power the expansion of the b/c/e system.
We find that planet d plays a crucial role during the orbital expansion phase due to destabilizing encounters of a three-body resonance between c, d, and e. A successful orbital expansion phase puts constraints on the planet properties in the Kepler-221 system including the planet mass ratios and the tidal quality factors for the planets. Our model can also be applied to other planet systems in resonance, such as Kepler-402 and K2-138.
Schematic of the formation model for the Kepler-221 planet system investigated in this study. Sequential migration traps five planets in a chain of 1st-order resonances (panels a+b). After disk dispersal, the resonance chain breaks (panel c) triggering a dynamical instability that results in the merger of planets d1 and d2 (panel d). Convergent migration between planets b and c re-establishes the b, c, and e resonance chain (panel e). On evolutionary timescales (∼1 Gyr) the b, c, and e resonance chain expands to the present-day period ratios due to tidal dissipation (panel f). — astro-ph.E
Tian Yi, Chris W. Ormel, Shuo Huang, Antoine C. Petit
Comments: Accepted for publication in A&A. 21 pages, 14 figures, 6 tables
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
Cite as: arXiv:2502.01736 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2502.01736v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2502.01736
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Submission history
From: Tian Yi
[v1] Mon, 3 Feb 2025 19:00:01 UTC (6,595 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.01736
Astrobiology
