A limit on eccentricity growth from global 3-D simulations of disc-planet interactions

TL;DR

High-resolution 3-D simulations show that disc-planet interactions do not significantly increase eccentricity for small planets at typical densities, but large planets and high densities can induce eccentricity growth, highlighting the importance of disc surface density profiles.

Contribution

This study demonstrates the threshold surface density needed for eccentricity growth in disc-planet interactions and emphasizes the impact of disc surface density profiles on this process.

Findings

Small planets do not show significant eccentricity growth at typical densities.

Large planets and high densities can induce eccentricity growth.

Disc surface density profile strongly influences eccentricity evolution.

Abstract

We present high resolution 3-D simulations of the planet-disc interaction using smoothed particle hydrodynamics, to investigate the possibility of driving eccentricity growth by this mechanism. For models with a given disc viscosity (\alpha = 0.01), we find that for small planet masses (a few Jupiter masses) and canonical surface densities, no significant eccentricity growth is seen over the duration of our simulations. This contrasts with the limiting case of large planet mass (over twenty Jupiter masses) and extremely high surface densities, where we find eccentricity growth in agreement with previously published results. We identify the cause of this as being a threshold surface density for a given planet mass below which eccentricity growth cannot be excited by this method. Further, the radial profile of the disc surface density is found to have a stronger effect on eccentricity growth than previously acknowledged, implying that care must be taken when contrasting results from different disc models. We discuss the implication of this result for real planets embedded in gaseous discs, and suggest that the disc-planet interaction does not contribute significantly to observed exoplanet eccentricities.