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Tidal Decay And Stable Roche-Lobe Overflow Of Short-Period Gaseous Exoplanets, Brian Jackson, Emily Jensen, Sarah Peacock, Phil Arras, Kaloyan Penev

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many gaseous exoplanets in short-period orbits are on the verge or are in the process of Roche-lobe overflow (RLO). Moreover, orbital stability analysis shows tides can drive many hot Jupiters to spiral inevitably toward their host stars. Thus, the coupled processes of orbital evolution and RLO likely shape the observed distribution of close-in exoplanets and may even be responsible for producing some of the short-period rocky planets. However, the exact outcome for an overflowing planet depends on its internal response to mass loss, and the accompanying orbital evolution can act to enhance or inhibit RLO. In this study, we apply …