The Stability and Prospects of the Detection of Terrestrial/Habitable Planets in Multiplanet and Multiple Star Systems

Abstract

Given the tendency of planets to form in multiples, and the observational evidence in support of the existence of potential planet-hosting stars in binaries or clusters, it is expected that extrasolar terrestrial planets are more likely to be found in multiple body systems. This paper discusses the prospects of the detection of terrestrial/habitable planets in multibody systems by presenting the results of a study of the long-term stability of these objects in systems with multiple giant planets (particularly those in eccentric and/or in mean-motion resonant orbits), systems with close-in Jupiter-like bodies, and systems of binary stars. The results of simulations show that while short-period terrestrial-class objects that are captured in near mean-motion resonances with migrating giant planets are potentially detectable via transit photometry or the measurement of the variations of the transit-timing due to their close-in Jovian-mass planetary companions, the prospect of the detection of habitable planets with the radial velocity technique is higher in systems with multiple giant planets outside the habitable zone and binary systems with moderately separated stellar companions.