Early evidence for isotropic planetary obliquities in young super-Jupiter systems

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Poon, Michael, Bryan, Marta L., Rein, Hanno, Dong, Jiayin, Speagle, Joshua S., Pham, Dang
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Poon, Michael
Bryan, Marta L.
Rein, Hanno
Dong, Jiayin
Speagle, Joshua S.
Pham, Dang
author_facet Poon, Michael
Bryan, Marta L.
Rein, Hanno
Dong, Jiayin
Speagle, Joshua S.
Pham, Dang
contents This decade has seen the first measurements of extrasolar planetary obliquities, characterizing how an exoplanet's spin axis is oriented relative to its orbital axis. These measurements are enabled by combining projected rotational velocities, planetary rotation periods, and astrometric orbits for directly-imaged super-Jupiters. This approach constrains both the spin axis and orbital inclination relative to the line of sight, allowing obliquity measurements for individual systems and offering new insights into their formation. To test whether these super-Jupiters form more like scaled-up planets or scaled-down stars, we develop a hierarchical Bayesian framework to infer their population-level obliquity distribution. Using a single-parameter Fisher distribution, we compare two models: a planet-like formation scenario ($κ=5$) predicting moderate alignment, versus a brown dwarf-like formation scenario ($κ=0$) predicting isotropic obliquities. Based on a sample of four young super-Jupiter systems, we find early evidence favoring the isotropic case with a Bayes factor of 15, consistent with turbulent fragmentation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_04091
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Early evidence for isotropic planetary obliquities in young super-Jupiter systems
Poon, Michael
Bryan, Marta L.
Rein, Hanno
Dong, Jiayin
Speagle, Joshua S.
Pham, Dang
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
This decade has seen the first measurements of extrasolar planetary obliquities, characterizing how an exoplanet's spin axis is oriented relative to its orbital axis. These measurements are enabled by combining projected rotational velocities, planetary rotation periods, and astrometric orbits for directly-imaged super-Jupiters. This approach constrains both the spin axis and orbital inclination relative to the line of sight, allowing obliquity measurements for individual systems and offering new insights into their formation. To test whether these super-Jupiters form more like scaled-up planets or scaled-down stars, we develop a hierarchical Bayesian framework to infer their population-level obliquity distribution. Using a single-parameter Fisher distribution, we compare two models: a planet-like formation scenario ($κ=5$) predicting moderate alignment, versus a brown dwarf-like formation scenario ($κ=0$) predicting isotropic obliquities. Based on a sample of four young super-Jupiter systems, we find early evidence favoring the isotropic case with a Bayes factor of 15, consistent with turbulent fragmentation.
title Early evidence for isotropic planetary obliquities in young super-Jupiter systems
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.04091