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From Misaligned Sub-Saturns to Aligned Brown Dwarfs: The Highest $M_{\rm p}/M{_*}$ Systems Exhibit Low Obliquities, Even around Hot Stars

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arxiv 2412.04438 v3 pith:UFEVGYLH submitted 2024-12-05 astro-ph.EP astro-ph.SR

classification astro-ph.EPastro-ph.SR
keywords systemsplanetsalignedalignmenthighmassobservedstars
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abstract

We present a pattern emerging from stellar obliquity measurements in single-star systems: planets with high planet-to-star mass ratios ($M_{\rm p}/M{_*}$$>$ $2\times10^{-3}$) -- such as super-Jupiters, brown dwarf companions, and M-dwarfs hosting Jupiter-like planets -- tend to be aligned, even around hot stars. This alignment represents a 3.7$\sigma$ deviation from the obliquity distribution observed in systems with lower mass ratios ($M_{\rm p}/M{_*}$$<$ $2\times10^{-3}$), which predominantly include Jupiters and sub-Saturns. The only known outlier system, XO-3, exhibits misalignment confirmed via our newly collected Rossiter-McLaughlin effect measurement ($\lambda=41.8^{+2.1}_{-2.0}$ degrees). However, the relatively large $\textit{Gaia}$ Renormalized Unit Weight Error (RUWE) of XO-3 suggests that it may harbor an undetected binary companion, potentially contributing to its misalignment. Given that tidal realignment mechanisms are weak for hot stars, the observed alignment in high $M_{\rm p}/M{_*}$ systems is likely $\textit{primordial}$ rather than resulting from tidal interactions. One possible explanation is that only dynamically isolated planets can continue accreting gas and evolve into super-Jupiters while maintaining their primordial alignment. Conversely, planets formed in compact configurations may be unable to grow beyond the gap-opening mass, for which our work suggests an empirical boundary $M_{\rm p}/M{_*}$$=$ $2\times10^{-3}$, identified between aligned high $M_{\rm p}/M{_*}$ systems and misaligned low $M_{\rm p}/M{_*}$ systems, with dynamical instabilities contributing to the diverse spin-orbit misalignments observed in the latter.

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Forward citations

Cited by 3 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score. Full citation record

  1. Warm Sub-Saturns Orbiting Single Stars Are Spin-Orbit Aligned

    astro-ph.EP 2026-07 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

    Warm sub-Saturns around single cool stars are predominantly aligned whereas hot sub-Saturns are frequently misaligned (3.2σ), a separation-dependent transition the authors attribute to high-eccentricity migration.

  2. Ten Aligned Orbits: Planet Migration in the Era of JWST and Ariel

    astro-ph.EP 2025-05 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

    Ten new projected spin-orbit angles, all consistent with alignment, plus a true obliquity for a brown dwarf and a completeness study of JWST/Ariel atmospheric targets.

  3. TOI-880 is an Aligned, Coplanar, Multi-planet System

    astro-ph.EP 2025-07 conditional novelty 5.0 of 10

    TOI-880 hosts three transiting planets with a sky-projected obliquity of |lambda| = 7.4 +6.8/-7.2 degrees for planet c, consistent with an aligned, coplanar architecture.

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