The Size Distribution of Planets is Different Around Single and Binary Stars

Small planets are very common and gas giants are relatively rare... at least around single stars. This size distribution shapes our understanding of planet formation and evolution. Planets have also been found around binary stars. A comparative occurrence rate would yield a unique perspective on how planets form and evolve by testing these processes in two very different environments. However, until now, our observational sensitivity to circumbinary planets has been restricted to gas giants. I will present the first large application of STANLEY, an automated search pipeline with a sensitivity down to circumbinary Earths. Our results show for the first time that small planets are actually less abundant around binaries, meaning that the size distribution is different around one and two stars. I will discuss the implications this discovery has on planet formation, including the contentious birthplace and migration history of super-Earths.