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Efficiency of secular perturbations and tidal circularization in HEM

Characterize the efficiency of secular perturbations from wide binary companions or planetary companions in driving high-eccentricity tidal migration to very close orbits and quantify the subsequent tidal circularization process for giant planets.

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Background

High-eccentricity tidal migration (HEM) can be initiated by secular perturbations from distant companions (stellar or planetary). While such perturbations are plausible triggers, their efficiency in producing very short-period giant planets, and the details of the ensuing tidal circularization, remain poorly constrained.

The authors situate TOI-6038 A b within this context, noting the lack of comprehensive understanding of how secular dynamics and tides jointly shape close-in giant planet populations, especially in systems with wide binary companions.

References

However, the efficiency of these perturbations in driving giant planets to very close orbits and the subsequent circularization process are not yet well understood.

— TOI-6038 A b: A dense sub-Saturn in the transition regime between the Neptunian ridge and savanna (2501.02272 - Baliwal et al., 4 Jan 2025) in Introduction