Revising Properties of Planet–Host Binary Systems. IV. The Radius Distribution of Small Planets in Binary Star Systems Is Dependent on Stellar Separation

Abstract

Small planets ( R _p ≤ 4 R _⊕ ) are divided into rocky super-Earths and gaseous sub-Neptunes separated by a radius gap, but the mechanisms that produce these distinct planet populations remain unclear. Binary stars are the only main-sequence systems with an observable record of the protoplanetary disk lifetime and mass reservoir, and the demographics of planets in binaries may provide insights into planet formation and evolution. To investigate the radius distribution of planets in binary star systems, we observed 207 binary systems hosting 283 confirmed and candidate transiting planets detected by the Kepler mission, then recharacterized the planets while accounting for the observational biases introduced by the secondary star. We found that the population of planets in close binaries ( ρ ≤ 100 au) is significantly different from the planet population in wider binaries ( ρ > 300 au) or single stars. In contrast to planets around single stars, planets in close binaries appear to have a unimodal radius distribution with a peak near the expected super-Earth peak of R _p ∼ 1.3 R _⊕ and a suppressed population of sub-Neptunes. We conclude that we are observing the direct impact of a reduced disk lifetime, smaller mass reservoir, and possible altered distribution of solids reducing the sub-Neptune formation efficiency. Our results demonstrate the power of binary stars as a laboratory for exploring planet formation and as a controlled experiment of the impact of varied initial conditions on mature planet populations.

Keywords

• Binary stars
• Super Earths
• Exoplanets
• Mini Neptunes
• Exoplanet formation
• Planet hosting stars