Orbital Stability of Earth-Type Planets in Binary Systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates the conditions under which Earth-like planets can maintain stable orbits in binary star systems, providing a criterion to predict planetary stability relevant for future astronomical observations.

Contribution

It introduces a new stability criterion for Earth-type planets in binary systems based on analytical methods, advancing understanding of planetary orbital dynamics in such environments.

Findings

Established a criterion for planetary orbital stability in binary systems

Identified the permissible regions of planetary motion in these systems

Provided insights useful for future observational and theoretical studies

Abstract

About half of all known stellar systems with Sun-like stars consist of two or more stars, significantly affecting the orbital stability of any planet in these systems. Here we study the onset of instability for an Earth-type planet that is part of a binary system. Our investigation makes use of previous analytical work allowing to describe the permissible region of planetary motion. This allows us to establish a criterion for the orbital stability of planets that may be useful in the context of future observational and theoretical studies.