Sub-Jovian desert of exoplanets at its boundaries. Parameter dependence along the main sequence

TL;DR

This study investigates the sub-Jovian desert in exoplanet distributions, revealing its dependence on stellar parameters and chemical composition, supporting atmospheric loss as a key formation process.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the boundary dependencies on stellar and chemical parameters, with quantitative formulae derived from clustering analysis.

Findings

The upper boundary includes inflated and normal hot Jupiters.

The boundary depends on stellar parameters such as irradiation and composition.

Chemical substructures influence the period-radius distribution.

Abstract

Context. The lack of sub-Jovian planets on orbits of $P_{\rm orb} < 3$ days is a puzzling aspect of galaxy formation with regard to the distribution of exoplanets whose origins are currently unresolved. Aims. The possible explanations behind the formation of the sub-Jovian or Neptunian desert include several scenarios that can lead to different shapes for the boundary, predicting various dependencies between the position of the boundary and the stellar parameters. Methods. We explored the exoplanet distribution in various 2D and 3D projections, revealing the stellar-dependent substructures in the $P_{\rm orb}-M_{P}$ and the $P_{\rm orb}-R_{P}$ parameter plane. Results. We demonstrate that the upper boundary includes a range of planets, namely, inflated hot Jupiters and normal hot Jupiters, in the two parameter planes, respectively. We confirm the dependence of the boundary on several stellar parameters and, based on a fuzzy clustering analysis, we provide quantitative formulae for the dependencies in groups of smaller and larger planets. The overall period-radius distribution shows chemical substructures as well, with the boundary being dependent on volatiles and alpha-elements, alongside marginal (to none) dependence found for refractory elements. Conclusions. These findings confirm multiple plausible causes for the formation of the desert, particularly preferring those scenarios related to the irradiation-driven loss of the atmospheres of moderately massive planets as the predominant process in shaping planetary distributions.