Double hot Jupiters are situations where, in a binary star system, a gas giant orbits each star at a close distance. Scientists have been able to figure out how such situations arise.
Double hot Jupiters
Recently, a group of scientists revealed an interesting mystery related to the so-called “hot Jupiters.” At one time, these gas giants, which are much closer to their stars than Mercury is to the Sun, amazed scientists. It seemed that there were an extraordinary number of them in the Universe.
However, it later turned out that this statistic was the result of imperfect early observation methods, and in reality they only orbit around 1% of the stars in the Milky Way. However, the mystery remains, because gas giants do not usually form close to their stars.
Even more unusual are double hot Jupiters. This is the name given to situations where, in a fairly wide binary system, a gas giant orbits very closely around each of the stars. Such cases, although rare, exist, and at first glance, such a situation seems statistically improbable.
Unraveling the mystery
A new study by a group of scientists from Yale University is dedicated to solving this mystery. They suggested that the Zeipel-Lidov-Kozai (ZLK) mechanism is responsible for double hot Jupiters. The theory is that the second star in the system first destabilizes the wide orbit of the planet orbiting the first star and then stabilizes it in a much narrower orbit.
In the case of double hot Jupiters, this mechanism works for both stars at once, causing the gas giants to shift closer to each of them. It sounds unbelievable, but scientists have conducted a lot of computer simulations, and they have confirmed that it is real.
This generally confirms the assumption that hot Jupiters form in colder regions around their stars and then migrate closer to them. But at the same time, the theory of planetary system formation is becoming more complex and confusing.
In general, researchers conclude that we need to keep looking for hot Jupiters. Because, according to their theory, in those binary systems where one such planet has already been discovered, there is a high probability that there will be a second one.
According to www.space.com
