Constraining the orbit of the planet-hosting binary $\tau$ Bo\"otis: Clues about planetary formation and migration

TL;DR

This study tightly constrains the orbit of the binary star system $ au$ Boo, revealing a well-aligned, highly eccentric orbit that informs theories of hot Jupiter formation and migration within protoplanetary discs.

Contribution

The paper combines over 150 years of astrometric data with 25 years of radial velocities to precisely determine the orbit of $ au$ Boo AB, providing new insights into planetary migration mechanisms.

Findings

The orbital inclination of $ au$ Boo AB is approximately 47 degrees.

The eccentricity of the binary orbit is about 0.87.

The system's configuration suggests planet migration within a coplanar, well-aligned disc.

Abstract

The formation of planets in compact or highly eccentric binaries and the migration of hot Jupiters are two outstanding problems in planet formation. The hot Jupiter $\tau$ Boo Ab orbits the primary star in the long-period ($P \gtrsim 1000\,$yr), highly eccentric ($e \sim 0.9$) binary $\tau$ Bo\"otis. Due to the long orbital period, the orbit of the stellar binary is poorly constrained. Here we aim to constrain the orbit of the stellar binary $\tau$ Boo AB in order to investigate the formation and migration history of the system. The mutual orbital inclination of the stellar companion and the hot Jupiter has important implications for planet migration. The binary eccentricity and periastron distance are important for understanding the conditions under which $\tau$ Boo Ab formed. We combine more than 150 years of astrometric data with twenty-five years of high precision radial velocities. The combination of sky-projected and line-of-sight measurements places tight constraints on the orbital inclination, eccentricity, and periastron distance of $\tau$ Boo AB. We find an orbital inclination of $47.2^{+2.7}_{-3.7}\,$deg, periastron distance of $28.3^{+2.3}_{-3.0}\,$au and eccentricity of $0.87^{+0.04}_{-0.03}$. We find that the orbital inclinations of $\tau$ Boo Ab and $\tau$ Boo B, as well as the stellar spin-axis of $\tau$ Boo A coincide at $\sim \! 45$ degrees, a result consistent with the assumption of a well-aligned, coplanar system. The likely aligned, coplanar configuration suggests planetary migration within a well-aligned protoplanetary disc. Due to the high eccentricity and small periastron distance of $\tau$ Boo B, the protoplanetary disc was tidally truncated at $\approx \! 6\,$au. We suggest that $\tau$ Boo Ab formed near the edge of the truncated disc and migrated inwards with high eccentricity due to spiral waves generated by the stellar companion.