A giant exoplanet orbiting a very-low-mass star challenges planet formation models

Abstract

Surveys have shown that super-Earth and Neptune-mass exoplanets are more frequent than gas giants around low-mass stars, as predicted by the core accretion theory of planet formation. We report the discovery of a giant planet around the very-low-mass star GJ 3512, as determined by optical and near-infrared radial-velocity observations. The planet has a minimum mass of 0.46 Jupiter masses, very high for such a small host star, and an eccentric 204-day orbit. Dynamical models show that the high eccentricity is most likely due to planet-planet interactions. We use simulations to demonstrate that the GJ 3512 planetary system challenges generally accepted formation theories, and that it puts constraints on the planet accretion and migration rates. Disk instabilities may be more efficient in forming planets than previously thought.Copyright © 2019 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science ; This research was supported by the following programs, grants, and fellowships: Spanish Ministry for Science, Innovation and Universities (MCIU) ESP2014-54062-R, ESP2014-54362P, AYA2015-69350-C3-2-P, BES-2015-074542, AYA2016-79425-C3-1/2/3-P, ESP2016-76076-R, ESP2016-80435-C2-1-R, ESP2016-80435-C2-2-R, ESP2017-87143-R, ESP2017-87676-C05-02-R, ESP-2017-87676-2-2, RYC-2012-09913 (>Ramon y Cajal> program), and FPU15/01476; Israel Science Foundation grant 848/16, CONICYT-FONDECYT/Chile Postdoctorado 3180405; Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft-un Raumfahrt (DLR) 50OW0204 and 50OO1501; Italian Minister of Instruction, University and Research (MIUR), FFABR 2017; University of Rome Tor Vergata, >Mission: Sustainability 2016> fund; European Research Council under the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation program 694513; Mexican national council for science and technology CONACYT, CVU 448248; the >Center of Excellence Severo Ochoa> award for the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (SEV-2017-0709); Generalitat de Catalunya/CERCA program; Fondo Europeo de Desarollo Regional (FEDER); German Science Foundation (DFG) Research Unit FOR2544 >Blue Planets around Red Stars> and Priority Programs SPP 1833, >Building a Habitable Earth> and SPP 1992, >Exploring the Diversity of Extrasolar Planets> NSF grants PHY17-48958 and PHY-1607761; Swiss National Science Foundation under grant BSGIO_155816 >PlaneltsInTime' and within the framework of the NCCR PlanetS; Queen Mary University of London Scholarship and STFC Consolidated Grant ST/P000592/1; Spanish MCIU FPI-SO predoctoral contract BES-2017-082610 and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.