Formation of Retrograde Hot Jupiter Triggered by Close Encounter with Tidal Circularization (2401.09701v4)

Abstract: A new mechanism is proposed to account for the formation of retrograde hot Jupiter in coplanar star-planet system via close encounter between a Jupiter mass planet and a brown dwarf mass planet. After long timescale scattering between several Jupiter mass planets with inner orbits, the remaining planets still rotating around the star could have large semimajor with large eccentricity. If there exists a brown dwarf mass planet in distant orbit around the star, planetary encounter may happen. After encounter, the Jupiter mass planet may rotate around the star in a retrograde orbit with extremely large eccentricity and the periastron can reach about 0.01 AU, which means that, within the first several orbits around the star, tidal interaction from the star can shrink the semimajor axis of the planet quickly. Thus, the Jupiter mass planet is isolated from the brown dwarf mass planet due to the quick decrease of its apastron distance and eventually evolves into a retrograde hot Jupiter.