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arXiv · 2003.05121

The reliability of the Titius-Bode relation and its implications for the search for exoplanets

Patricia Lara·Guadalupe Cordero-Tercero·Christine Allen
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Abstract

The major semiaxes of the planets in our Solar System obey a simple geometric progression known as the Titius-Bode Relation (TBR), whose physical origin remains disputed. It has been shown that the exoplanetary systems follow a similar (but not identical) progression of the form a_n= a_0 e^(bn), where a_0, b are constants to be determined for each system. Since its formulation, the Titius-Bode Relation has proved to be highly predictive in our Solar System. Using data from 27 exoplanetary systems with 5 or more planets and applying a proposed method, we conclude that reliable TB-like fits can be obtained for systems with at least 4 planets and that the precision of the TBR is 78%. By means of a statistical test we show that the periods of planets in real exoplanetary systems are not consistent with a random distribution. Rather, they show signs that their configuration is shaped by their mutual interactions.

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Patricia Lara, Guadalupe Cordero-Tercero, Christine Allen. 2020-03-11. The reliability of the Titius-Bode relation and its implications for the search for exoplanets. https://doi.org/10.1093/pasj%2Fpsz146

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