Characteristics of Synthetic Giant Planet Systems

(Levison, Lissauer, & Duncan 1998)
Goal: to generate plausible, stable giant planet systems using a bottom-up techniques.
Notes on Methods:

1. Did not include the strong disk interactions that lead to 'hot' Jupiters (see Ward).
   • So we can study terrestrial planets.
2. We had to make an unphysical assumption to make this work.

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• Some systems are well behaved and form systems `like' our own.
  
  
• However, some systems `blow up'.
  • Usually leads to a system with 2 planets.
  • Planets hit the Sun!
    • Up to 60% of the mass of the system.
  
  
• The number of giant planets range from 1 to 7. .
  
  
• There are systems more compact than ours. And less.
  
  
• There are stable systems where the orbits of the planets change significantly.
  • 0.02 < e < 0.93 and 1^O < i < 47^O.