Floating binary planets from ejections during close stellar encounters

Abstract

The discovery of planetary systems beyond our solar system has posed challenges to established theories of planetary formation. Planetary orbits display a variety of architectures not predicted by first principles, and free-floating planets appear ubiquitous. The recent discovery of candidate Jupiter Mass Binary Objects (JuMBOs) by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) further expanded this enigma. Here, by means of high-accuracy, direct N-body simulations, we evaluate the possibility that JuMBOs may form as a result of ejection after a close stellar flyby. We consider a system of two Jupiter-like planets moving in circular orbits with velocities v1 and v2 at distances a1 and a2 around a Sun-like star. The interloper is another Sun-like star approaching with asymptotic velocity v∞. We find that JuMBOs can indeed be formed upon ejection if the two planets are nearly aligned as the interloper reaches the closest approach. The ratio of the cross section of JuMBOs production to that of single ejected free-floating planets can approach ~ 20% for v∞/v2 ~ 0.1 - 0.2 and a1/a2 ~ 0.65-0.7. JuMBOs formed via this channel are expected to have an average semi-major axis comparable to Δa = (a2-a1) and high eccentricity, with a distinctive superthermal distribution which can help to observationally identify this formation channel and distinguish it from primordial formation. If the ejection channel is confirmed for these or future JWST observations, these JuMBOs will directly inform us of the conditions where these giant planets formed in protoplanetary disks, putting stringent constraints on the giant planet formation theory.