Resonance Capture and Stability Analysis for Planet Pairs under Type I Disk Migration

Abstract: We present a theoretical model to investigate a two-planet pair that undergoes convergent type I migration in a gaseous protoplanetary disk and traps into the first-order mean motion resonance. Our study identifies the conditions for resonant capture and explores the subsequent dynamical stability of the system. We derive the analytical criteria for planets with an arbitrary mass ratio and validate through numerical N-body simulations. Slow migration and weak eccentricity damping are required for resonant capture, the latter of which has not received enough attention in the literature. Once capture into resonance, their following stability can be classified into three regimes: stable trap, overstable trap and escape. Notably, resonant capture remains stable when the inner planet significantly outweighs the outer one. However, the subsequent evolution can be diverse when the mass of the inner planet is lower or comparable to that of the outer planet. Stability weakens as the relative strength between migration and eccentricity damping increases. The key results can be comprehensively demonstrated in a $\tau_{a}$-$\tau_{a}/\tau_{\rm e}$ plot, where $\tau_{a}$ and $\tau_{\rm e}$ are orbital decay and eccentricity damping timescales, respectively.