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Kepler-36: A Pair of Planets with Neighboring Orbits and Dissimilar Densities
J. A. Carter ,
E. Agol ,
W. J. Chaplin ,
S. Basu ,
T. R. Bedding ,
L. A. Buchhave ,
J. Christensen-Dalsgaard ,
K. M. Deck ,
Y. Elsworth ,
D. C. Fabrycky ,
E. B. Ford ,
J. J. Fortney ,
S. J. Hale ,
R. Handberg ,
S. Hekker ,
M. J. Holman ,
D. Huber ,
C. Karoff ,
S. D. Kawaler ,
H. Kjeldsen ,
J. J. Lissauer ,
E. D. Lopez ,
M. N. Lund ,
M. Lundkvist ,
T. S. Metcalfe ,
A. Miglio ,
L. A. Rogers ,
D. Stello ,
W. J. Borucki ,
S. Bryson ,
J. L. Christiansen ,
W. D. Cochran ,
J. C. Geary ,
R. L. Gilliland ,
M. R. Haas ,
J. Hall ,
A. W. Howard ,
J. M. Jenkins ,
T. Klaus ,
D. G. Koch ,
D. W. Latham ,
P. J. MacQueen ,
D. Sasselov ,
J. H. Steffen ,
J. D. Twicken ,
J. N. Winn
August 02 2012
June 21 2012
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Abstract
In the solar system, the planets' compositions vary with orbital distance, with rocky
planets in close orbits and lower-density gas giants in wider orbits. The detection
of close-in giant planets around other stars was the first clue that this pattern
is not universal and that planets' orbits can change substantially after their formation.
Here, we report another violation of the orbit-composition pattern: two planets orbiting
the same star with orbital distances differing by only 10% and densities differing
by a factor of 8. One planet is likely a rocky "super-Earth," whereas the other is
more akin to Neptune. These planets are 20 times more closely spaced and have a larger
density contrast than any adjacent pair of planets in the solar system.