The impact of disc photoevaporation on the long-term evolution of giant planets in mean motion resonances
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Greenfield, Emmanuel J
Owen, James E
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We investigate the long-term impact of disc photoevaporation on the dynamical stability and evolution of giant planet pairs in mean motion resonances. Using two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations with fargo3d, in which we have included mass-loss due to photoevaporation, we explore a parameter space covering disc mass, viscosity, planet mass, and resonance type. We find that strong photoevaporation depletes gas in the common gap between the planets, slowing migration and suppressing planet–disc interactions that typically lead to resonance breaking and eccentricity damping. This stabilizing effect is most significant for 3:2 resonances, which are more prone to disruption due to the reduced planet spacing. In contrast, 2:1 resonances are generally more robust but can still be destabilized at high-disc mass and moderate-to-strong photoevaporation due to asymmetric torques. Photoevaporation can therefore stabilize resonances that would otherwise break, or conversely disrupt resonances that are natively more stable. Even in cases where photoevaporation does not directly affect resonance stability, it typically results in increased planetary eccentricities. These results highlight the complex, system-dependent nature of resonance evolution, with implications for the final orbital architectures of giant planet systems and their detectability via astrometry from missions such as Gaia.
Date Issued
2026-03-01
Date Acceptance
2026-01-13
Citation
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2026, 546 (3)
ISSN
0035-8711
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Journal / Book Title
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume
546
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Atttribution License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
stag171
Date Publish Online
2026-01-28