The ejection velocities of interstellar objects signpost their progenitor system architectures

Abstract

Interstellar objects (ISOs) ejected from planetary systems carry kinematic signatures of their formation environments. The properties of these velocity distributions govern the ISOs' propagation and dynamical evolution in the Galactic potential. We investigate how planetary system architecture influences ISO production during post-gas-disc dynamical instabilities using N-body simulations. We explore the ISO production outcomes of 2461 randomly generated systems spanning total system masses of 300-800 Earth masses and multiplicities of 3-7 planets. By integrating planets embedded in a disc of test particles for 10 Myr, we find that evolving systems can be broadly divided into two distinct classes based on their initial architectures. Catastrophic systems are characterized by high multiplicities and orbitally compact configurations, or by high-mass planets in systems with large mass asymmetries. These systems eject a large fraction of their planetesimals (median 59 percent) and, depending on the ejection pathway, produce high-speed ISOs (median 2.9 km/s). In contrast, quiet systems have lower masses and multiplicities and do not undergo significant orbital rearrangement, yet still eject a median of 28 percent of planetesimals at lower velocities (median 1.6 km/s). This dichotomy points to distinct ejection pathways, involving either violent global instabilities or more gradual, diffusive processes. Overall, we find that ISO ejection velocities are typically low, on the order of a few km/s. Although ISOs subsequently experience dynamical heating as they orbit the Galaxy, their velocity distributions retain signatures of their progenitor systems' architectures and histories, underscoring the potential use of ISOs in Galactic archaeology.