Dr. Yoram Lithwick
Northwestern University
In a planetary system with well-spaced planets, there is a nonlinear instability that can lead to chaotic behaviour. One of the planets may gradually become unstable, in which case its orbit can become highly eccentric and/or inclined. If an unstable planet escapes, the remaining planetary system becomes increasingly stable. This may explain the stable architecture of observed systems. Alternatively, if an unstable planet comes close to the star, its orbit will be circularized by tides. This can explain the numerous Jupiter-mass planets that have been discovered to orbit very close to the central star ("hot Jupiters").
Wednesday, January 6 at 11:00 AM
F235, Technological Institute