Strange multi-planet system proves not all hot Jupiter exoplanets are lonely giants

Image courtesy google

The recent discovery of the WASP-132 system challenges the prevailing understanding of hot Jupiter exoplanets. Traditionally, these gas giants were thought to form far from their stars and then migrate inward, disrupting any potential planetary neighbors in the process. However, WASP-132 hosts not only a hot Jupiter but also a super-Earth orbiting closer to the star and a massive outer planet. This unexpected configuration suggests that hot Jupiters can coexist with other planets, prompting a reevaluation of their formation and migration processes.

The WASP-132 system is a fascinating example of a planetary system that challenges our understanding of how hot Jupiter exoplanets form and evolve. It consists of a K-type star orbited by three known planets:

  • WASP-132b: A hot Jupiter, a gas giant with a mass just under half that of Jupiter, orbiting its star in just over seven Earth days.
  • WASP-132c: A super-Earth, with around six times the mass of Earth, orbiting the star in just over 24 hours.
  • WASP-132d: A massive outer planet, with five times the mass of Jupiter, orbiting the host star in five years.

This system is unique because it contains both a hot Jupiter and a super-Earth orbiting close to the star. Traditionally, hot Jupiters were thought to form far from their stars and then migrate inward, disrupting any potential planetary neighbors in the process. However, the presence of WASP-132c suggests that this may not always be the case.
The discovery of WASP-132 has important implications for our understanding of planet formation and migration. It suggests that hot Jupiters can coexist with other planets, and that their formation and migration processes may be more complex than previously thought.
Here are some additional facts about the WASP-132 system:

  • It is located about 403 light-years away in the constellation of Lupus.
  • The star is metal-rich, with a metallicity (Fe/H) of 0.18±0.12 dex.
  • The system is estimated to be between 3.2 and 7.2 billion years old.
    The WASP-132 system is a valuable resource for astronomers studying planet formation and evolution. It provides a unique opportunity to observe a system that challenges our current understanding of how these processes work.

WASP-132 is a unique multi-planet system in that both an inner rocky planet and the newly-discovered outer giant planet are in a system with a hot-Jupiter planet. This suggests the hot Jupiter migrated via a rare dynamically cool mechanism and helps to further the understanding of how hot Jupiter systems form and evolve.

Image courtesy google

Hot Jupiters are planets with masses similar to those of Jupiter, but which orbit closer to their star than Mercury orbits the Sun.

There is not enough gas and dust for these giant planets to form where they are observed, so the accepted theory is that they originate far from their star and migrate inward as the planetary system evolves.

Until now, hot Jupiters were thought to orbit their star alone, as migration towards the star would eject other planets in the system.

The two extra planets in the WASP-132 planetary system now call into question this theory.

“The WASP-132 system is a remarkable laboratory for studying the formation and evolution of multi-planetary systems,” said Dr. François Bouchy, an astronomer at the Observatoire de Genève.

“The discovery of a hot Jupiter alongside an inner super-Earth and a distant giant calls into question our understanding of the formation and evolution of these systems.”

“This is the first time we have observed such a configuration.”

The hot Jupiter, WASP-132b, orbits its parent star in 7.1 days. The super-Earth, WASP-132c, orbits the star in just 24 hours and 17 minutes.

The newly-discovered icy giant, named WASP-132d, orbits the host star in five years.

“The detection of the inner super-Earth was exciting as it’s particularly rare to find planets interior to hot Jupiters,” said University of Warwick’s Dr. David Armstrong.

“We carried out an intensive campaign with state-of-the-art instruments to characterize its mass, density and composition, revealing a planet with a density similar to that of the Earth.”

“This planetary discovery adds a layer of complexity to the WASP-132 system as migration of a hot Jupiter towards its star through dynamical perturbation would destabilize the orbits of the other two planets.”

“This suggests a more stable ‘cool’ migration path for the hot Jupiter in a protoplanetary disk that surrounds a young star and is the site of planet formation.”

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