2002/09/06 by M. Barbieri, F. Marzari, H. Schöll +1 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20021357
published as Astron.Astrophys. 396 (2002) 219-224 · accepted for pubblication in A&A, 13 pages, 9 figures
arxiv created 2002/09/06 · openalex publication_date 2002/11/22 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
At present the possible existence of planets around the stars of a close binary system is still matter of debate. Can planetary bodies form in spite of the strong gravitational perturbations of the companion star? We study in this paper via numerical simulation the last stage of planetary formation, from embryos to terrestrial planets in the α Cen system, the prototype of close binary systems. We find that Earth class planets can grow around α Cen A on a time-scale of 50 Myr. In some of our numerical models the planets form directly in the habitable zone of the star in low eccentric orbits. In one simulation two of the final planets are in a 2:1 mean motion resonance that, however, becomes unstable after 200 Myr. During the formation process some planetary embryos fall into the stars possibly altering their metallicity.