Observational Signatures of a Previous Dynamical Instability in Multi-planet M-Dwarf Systems

TL;DR

This study identifies observational signatures indicating past dynamical instability in M-dwarf multi-planet systems, linking simulation results with observed system architectures to infer their formation history and potential habitability.

Contribution

The paper extends formation simulations to 100 Myr, linking dynamical instability signatures with observed system properties, and suggests a method to identify systems that may host habitable planets.

Findings

Systems without large planets show signs of past instability.

Instability leads to lower multiplicity and larger period ratios.

Approximately 25% of systems are in their current stable configuration.

Abstract

We identify observational signatures suggesting a history of dynamical instability in 26 out of 34 M-dwarf multi-planet systems containing no large planets. These systems may have primarily formed in a gas-rich environment, potentially hosted more planets and were more compact. We extend previous simulations of the formation of the TRAPPIST-1 system to 100 Myr to test the stability of these systems without gas. We find the absence of a strong mean motion resonance in the innermost planet pair and the absence of three body resonances throughout the system are likely to result in the merging and ejection of planets after the gas disk disperses. The runs that experience such an instability tend to produce final systems with lower multiplicities, period ratios larger than two, increased orbital spacings, higher planetary angular momentum deficits, and slightly smaller mass ratios between adjacent planets. Remarkably, we find these same trends in the observations of M-dwarf multi-planet systems containing no large planets. Our work allows us to identify specific systems that may have experienced an instability and suggests that only ~25% of these systems formed in their current observed state while most systems were likely more compact and multiplicitous earlier in time. Previous research indicates that systems that have experienced a late stage giant impact may host planets potentially more habitable than the systems that did not. With this in mind, we suggest systems around M-dwarfs that contain period ratios larger than two be given priority in the search for habitable worlds.