Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0611861

From: Fred C. Adams [view email]

Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2006 21:02:19 GMT (9kb)

Relativistic Effects in Extrasolar Planetary Systems

Authors: Fred C. Adams, Gregory Laughlin

Comments: Accepted for publication in International Journal of Modern Physics D; this paper received ``Honorable Mention'' in the 2006 Essay Competition of the Gravity Research Foundation; 9 pages including 1 figure

This paper considers general relativistic (GR) effects in currently observed extrasolar planetary systems. Although GR corrections are small, they can compete with secular interactions in these systems and thereby play an important role. Specifically, some of the observed multiple planet systems are close to secular resonance, where the dynamics is extremely sensitive to GR corrections, and these systems can be used as laboratories to test general relativity. For the three-planet solar system Upsilon Andromedae, secular interaction theory implies an 80% probability of finding the system with its observed orbital elements if GR is correct, compared with only a 2% probability in the absence of GR. In the future, tighter constraints can be obtained with increased temporal coverage.

http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0611861