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The imprint of the disk dispersal phase on the orbital distribution of giant planets

Presentation #207.04 in the session Demographics.

Published onJun 20, 2022
The imprint of the disk dispersal phase on the orbital distribution of giant planets

Numerical models have shown that disk dispersal via internal photoevaporation driven by the host star can successfully reproduce the observed pile-up of warm Jupiters near 1–2 au. However, since a range of different mechanisms have been proposed to cause the same feature, clear observational diagnostics of disk dispersal leaving an imprint in the observed distribution of giant planets could help in constraining the dominant mechanisms. We assess the impact of disk dispersal via X-ray-driven photoevaporation (XPE) on giant planet separations in order to provide theoretical constraints on the location and size of any possible features related to this process within the observed semi-major axis distribution of giant planets. For this purpose, we perform a set of 1D planet population synthesis models and correlate the gas giants’ final parking locations with the X-ray properties of their host stars in order to quantify observables of this process within the semi-major axis distribution of these systems. We find that XPE does indeed create an under-density of gas giants near the gravitational radius, with corresponding pile-ups inside and/or outside this location. However, the size and location of these features are strongly dependent on the choice of initial conditions in our model, such as the assumed formation location of the planets. Hence, XPE can strongly affect the migration process of giant planets and leave potentially observable signatures within the observed orbital separations of giant planets.

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