Planets in Dense Star Clusters
Abstract
Star-formation studies indicate that most stars are formed in clusters. While hundreds of planets have been discovered around field stars, few planets are discovered in star clusters, despite extensive searches for planets in the nearest globular cluster (GC) 47 Tuc. One of the long-standing questions is are there planets in clusters around normal main-sequence stars? It is suggested that the low metallicities of GCs might result in a low abundance of giant planets. Alternatively, the high rate of stellar encounters may have influenced planet formation and evolution in dense clusters. We revisit these questions in light of the vast amount of data available from Kepler. The Kepler field contains low-density open clusters where the metallicities are close to Solar (or even higher). We have started detailed numerical simulations of star-clusters with a large range of masses and central densities (spanning values typical for the Galactic GCs as well as the Kepler clusters) including all relevant physics and including planet-hosting stars. I will present our results from this study.
- Publication:
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AAS/Division for Extreme Solar Systems Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- September 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011ESS.....2.0506C