Main-sequence tidal disruption of hot Jupiters

Determine whether a substantial fraction of hot Jupiters orbiting Sun-like stars are tidally disrupted during their host stars’ main-sequence lifetimes.

Background

Tidal interactions are expected to cause orbital decay when hot Jupiters reach very close orbits, but the relevant stellar tidal-dissipation strength is poorly constrained. The paper reassesses stellar-kinematic evidence for tidal disruption and finds no statistically strong evidence that a large fraction of hot Jupiters are destroyed during the main sequence. These results do not establish that tidal disruption never occurs, so the broader question remains unresolved.

References

However, the strength of tidal dissipation is highly uncertain, and it remains an open question whether HJs are tidally disrupted during the stellar main sequence.

— Are Hot Jupiters Tidally Disrupted During Stellar Main Sequence?  (2608.12790 - Hu et al., 13 Aug 2026) in Abstract and Section 1, Introduction