Orbital stability of Earth-type planets in stellar binary systems

Abstract

Abstract. An important factor in estimating the likelihood of life elsewhere in the Universe is determining the stability of a planet's orbit. A significant fraction of stars like the Sun occur in binary systems which often has a considerable effect on the stability of any planets in such a system. In an effort to determine the stability of planets in binary star systems, we conducted a numerical simulation survey of several mass ratios and initial conditions. We then estimated the stability of the planetary orbit using a method that utilizes the hodograph to determine the effective eccentricity of the planetary orbit. We found that this method can serve as an orbital stability criterion for the planet.