1998/01/02 by Norman Murray, Norm Murray, Brad Hansen +4 · 5 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1126/science.279.5347.69
published as Science 279:69-72,1998 · Latex, 14 pages, and 2 postscript figures. Appeared in Science, 2 January; Table 1 originally omitted
openalex publication_date 1998/01/02 · arxiv created 1998/01/15 · arxiv updated 2011/03/04 · openalex created_date 2020/07/02 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
A planet orbiting in a disk of planetesimals can experience an instability in which it migrates to smaller orbital radii. Resonant interactions between the planet and planetesimals remove angular momentum from the planetesimals, increasing their eccentricities. Subsequently, the planetesimals either collide with or are ejected by the planet, reducing the semimajor axis of the planet. If the surface density of the planetesimals exceeds a critical value, corresponding to approximately 0.03 solar mass of gas inside the orbit of Jupiter, the planet will migrate inward a large distance. This instability may explain the presence of Jupiter-mass objects in small orbits around nearby stars.