The role of resonances in planetary systems

Autor(en)

Rudolf Dvorak

Abstrakt

This paper reviews the important role of resonances in the structure of planetary systems. After a short introduction to the basics of orbital dynamics of motion in resonances we describe the dynamics of our planetary systems and also of extrasolar planetary systems, where up to now more than 100 are known. In our planetary system the planets move in quite regular orbits with small eccentricities although it was found that the motion of the inner planets is "slightly" chaotic on time scales of tenths of millions of years. The quasi regularity (close to so-called quasi-periodic motion on a torus) is not true for the small bodies: the main belt of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter with gaps for special values of semimajor axes on one hand and with families of many small bodies on the other, is sculpted due to the presence of first mean motion resonances with Jupiter and second secular resonances with long-periodic motions of the nodes and perihelia of Jupiter and Saturn. In extrasolar systems the planets - rather surprisingly - are found to move sometimes in very high eccentric orbits when they are at distances comparable to the size of our planets. Because of our still limited observational techniques using indirect methods we have only discovered massive planets comparable to the size of Jupiter. When these planets orbit alone around their host star our research aims at the possibility of additional terrestrial planets moving in such a system. Because of mostly large eccentricities here the resonances are, in contrary to our planets, essential for the stability of orbits, and may protect or destroy an orbit. On the other hand, in multiple planetary systems we concentrate on the stability of their orbits as they are observed: a very interesting new result is that most of these multiple planetary systems with high eccentric orbits move in resonances with a special configuration which protects them from close encounters although these orbits are crossing. ΠWorld Scientific Publishing Company.

Organisation(en)

Institut für Astrophysik

Journal

International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos in Applied Sciences and Engineering

Band

16

Seiten

1633-1644

Anzahl der Seiten

12

ISSN

0218-1274

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1142/S021812740601557X

Publikationsdatum

2006

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

103003 Astronomie

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/606a3182-5ba2-4c2f-9d1b-394d634dc10a