Extrasolar Planets and Mean-Motion Resonances

The 2:1 orbital resonances of the GJ 876 system can be easily established by the differential planet migration due to planet-nebula interaction. Significant eccentricity damping is required to produce the observed orbital eccentricities. The geometry of the GJ 876 resonance configuration differs from that of the Io-Europa pair, and this difference is due to the magnitudes of the eccentricities involved. We show that a large variation in the configuration of 2:1 and 3:1 resonances and, in particular, asymmetric librations can be expected among future discoveries.