Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: We investigate the stability of prograde versus retrograde planets in circular binary systems using numerical simulations. We show that retrograde planets are stable up to distances closer to the perturber than prograde planets. We develop an analytical model to compute the prograde and retrograde mean motion resonances’ locations and separatrices. We show that instability is due to single resonance forcing, or caused by nearby resonances’ overlap. We validate our results regarding the role of single resonances and resonances’ overlap on orbit stability, by computing surfaces of section of the circular restricted three-body problem. We conclude that the observed enhanced stability of retrograde planets with respect to prograde planets is due to essential differences between the phase-space topology of retrograde versus prograde resonances (at p/q mean motion ratio, the prograde resonance is of order p−q while the retrograde resonance is of order p+q).
Authors: M. H. M. Morais, C. A. Giuppone
Institution: University of Aveiro
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1941902670