1:1 orbital resonance of circumbinary planets

TL;DR

This study uses hydrodynamic simulations to explore the dynamics of circumbinary planets, revealing a new stable 1:1 orbital resonance configuration near the inner edge of the disc.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of stable 1:1 mean-motion resonance orbits for circumbinary planets, supported by hydrodynamic and n-body simulations.

Findings

Planets can be captured in 1:1 resonance near the disc's inner edge.

Resonant planets have aligned orbits with eccentricities around 0.25-0.30.

The resonant configurations are stable over long timescales.

Abstract

The recent detection of the third planet in Kepler-47 has shown that binary stars can host several planets in circumbinary orbits. To understand the evolution of such systems we have performed two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of the circumbinary disc with two embedded planets for several Kepler systems. In two cases, Kepler-47 and -413, the planets are captured in a 1:1 mean-motion resonance at the planet parking position near the inner edge of the disc. The orbits are fully aligned, have mean eccentricities of about 0.25 to 0.30, and the planets are entangled in a horseshoe type of motion. Subsequent n-body simulations without the disc show that the configurations are stable. Our results point to the existence of a new class of stable resonant orbits around binary stars. It remains to be seen if such orbits exist in reality.