Abstract

Contributed Talk - Splinter ExoPlanets

Wednesday, 17 September 2025, 16:51

Dynamical stability of debris discs with planets in star clusters

Kai Wu, M.B.N. Kouwenhoven, Francesco Flammini Dotti, Rainer Spurzem
Heidelberg University, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, University of Liverpool

Several tens of planetary systems, including our Solar System, contain both planets and debris structures. Most stars, including the Sun, are believed to be born in clustered environments, such as in star clusters. In such environments, debris discs evolve through interactions with stellar neighbours and planets. I use gravitational N-body simulations to investigate how the joint effect of star cluster environments and planets affects the dynamical evolution and stability of debris discs. I focus on how (i) the presence of a planet, (ii) the density of the star cluster, and (iii) the orbit of host stars within the cluster affect the stability and evolution of debris discs, as well as the characteristics of escaping particles and remaining discs. Besides, the simulation data also reveals that the stability of debris discs or exoplanets in star clusters strongly depends on the orbit of their host star within the cluster. The survival rate of discs or planets is most significantly correlated with the period and angular momentum of the host star’s orbit. Star cluster members with a long orbital period and/or large orbital angular momentum are ideal candidates for detecting young debris structures or exoplanets in upcoming surveys.