A study spearheaded by an astronomer from Indiana University presents a challenge to the established ideas about the solitary nature of “hot Jupiters,” proposing a new mechanism to comprehend the evolution of these exoplanets.
While our
“Our research shows that at least a fraction of hot Jupiters cannot form through a violent process,” said Songhu Wang, assistant professor of astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences. “This is a significant contribution to advance our understanding of hot Jupiter formation, which can help us learn more about our own solar system.”
Wang presented the results of the research at the June 2023 meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Researchers analyzed the full, four-year data set for hot and warm Jupiters from
Reference: “Evidence for Hidden Nearby Companions to Hot Jupiters” by Dong-Hong Wu, Malena Rice and Songhu Wang, 23 March 2023, The Astronomical Journal.
DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/acbf3f
Additional collaborators are Dong-Hong Wu, lecturer in the Department of Physics at Anhui Normal University, and Malena Rice, 51 Pegasi b Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and incoming professor at