arXiv subjects

Octavio M. Guilera

Publications and source records attributed to Octavio M. Guilera.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A formation pathway for giant planets in S-type discs of γ-Cephei-like compact binaries

Planet formation in close binary systems such as $γ$-Cephei is strongly challenged by the truncation of the circumprimary disc induced by the stellar companion, which limits the available reservoir of gas and solids. Recent hydrodynamical studies suggest that a long-lived circumbinary disc may replenish the circumprimary disc with gas and dust, extending its lifetime and potentially enabling giant planet formation. However, the long-term evolution of such systems under viscous accretion and X-ray photoevaporation, and their coupling with planet formation, remains largely unexplored. We investigate whether sustained mass inflow from a circumbinary reservoir can prolong the lifetime of circumprimary discs and facilitate gas giant formation in $γ$-Cephei-like binaries, even in the presence of strong photoevaporation. Using our code PLANETALP-B, we model the coupled evolution of gas, dust growth, and in-situ planet formation by pebble and gas accretion, including viscous accretion, X-ray photoevaporation, and continuous mass injection. Gas inflow can significantly extend the lifetime of the circumprimary disc, even under strong mass loss. When solids are also transferred, the lifetime of the solid disc increases, enhancing planetary growth. As a result, planets can reach several Jupiter masses, unlike scenarios without mass replenishment. We show that sustained mass transfer from a circumbinary disc can enable giant planet formation in $γ$-Cephei-like binaries, providing a viable pathway to overcome disc truncation, although its applicability to other systems remains to be tested with dedicated hydrodynamical simulations.

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arXiv2025

Protoplanetary disc population synthesis I. Linking mass-dependent viscosity, star formation history and environment to observations

Context. Recent studies highlight the importance of stellar mass sampling when determining disc lifetimes through observed disc fractions. Low-mass stars host discs with average lifetimes exceeding 5~Myr, and accretion rates show a strong correlation with stellar mass ($\dot{M} \propto M_\star^2$). Aims. We aim to identify the optimal parameters of a protoplanetary disc evolution model capable of reproducing both observed disc fractions and mass accretion rates in young stellar populations. Methods. We conducted a population synthesis study modelling disc evolution via viscous accretion and internal/external photoevaporation. Initial disc masses and radii were drawn from observational distributions. We explored the viscosity parameter $\alpha$ as a function of stellar mass, and incorporated a stellar mass distribution and a star formation rate (SFR). Results. Matching observed disc fractions and accretion trends requires that $\alpha$ increases with stellar mass. External photoevaporation and a systematic underestimation of gas disc masses (due to dust evolution and hidden solids) are needed to reproduce the $\dot{M}-M_{\rm d}$ plane. Accounting for a time-dependent SFR enhances accretion in young clusters and extends disc lifetimes in older ones. Introducing a stellar mass cut-off reproduces distance-dependent biases in cluster disc fractions. Conclusions. Stellar and environmental dependencies are both essential to explain observed disc properties. A stellar-mass-dependent viscosity recovers the $\dot{M}-M_\star$ relation, while external photoevaporation and extended star formation histories shape accretion rate distributions across environments, emphasizing the value of multi-faceted population synthesis models.

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arXiv2025

Quantifying the Impact of the Dust Torque on the Migration of Low-mass Planets II: The Role of Pebble Accretion in Planet Growth within a Global Planet Formation Model

Although dust constitutes only about 1% of the mass of a protoplanetary disk, recent studies demonstrate that it can exert a significant torque on low- and intermediate-mass planetary cores. We compute and quantify for the first time the influence of the dust torque on the evolution of growing planetary embryos as they move in a protoplanetary disk while growing via gas and pebble accretion. Our global model evolves the gaseous disk via viscous accretion and X-ray photoevaporation, while accounting for dust growth and evolution including coagulation, drift, and fragmentation. Our research indicates that dust torque significantly influences planetary migration, particularly driving substantial outward migration for planets forming within the water ice-line. This effect occurs due to an increased dust-to-gas mass ratio in the inner disk, resulting from inward pebble drift from outer regions. In contrast, for planets initially located beyond the water ice-line, the dust torque mitigates inward migration but does not significantly alter their paths, as the dust-to-gas ratio diminishes rapidly due to rapid pebble drift and the brief timescales of planet formation in these areas. These findings underscore the pivotal role of dust torque in shaping the migration patterns of low- and intermediate-mass planets, especially when enhanced dust concentrations in the inner disk amplify its effects

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arXiv2025

Ionized envelopes around protoplanets and the role of radiative feedback in gas accretion

Planetary growth within protoplanetary disks involves accreting material from their surroundings, yet the underlying mechanisms and physical conditions of the accreting gas remain debated. This study aims to investigate the dynamics and thermodynamic properties of accreting gas giants, and to characterize the envelope that forms near the planet during accretion. We employ three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of a Jupiter-mass planet embedded in a viscous gaseous disk. Our models incorporate a non-isothermal energy equation to compute gas and radiation energy diffusion and include radiative feedback from the planet. Results indicate that gas accretion occurs supersonically towards the planet, forming an ionized envelope that extends from the planetary surface up to 0.2 times the Hill radius in the no-feedback model, and up to 0.4 times the Hill radius in the feedback model. The envelope's radius, or ionization radius, acts as a boundary halting supersonic gas inflow and is pivotal for estimating accretion rates and H$α$ emission luminosities. Including radiative feedback increases accretion rates, especially within the ionization radius and from areas to the right of the planet when the star is positioned to the left. The accretion luminosities calculated at the ionization radius are substantially lower than those calculated at the Hill radius, highlighting potential misinterpretations in the non-detection of H$α$ emissions as indicators of ongoing planet formation.

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arXiv2025

From Streaming Instability to the Onset of Pebble Accretion I. Investigating the Growth Modes in Planetesimal Rings

Context. The localized formation of planetesimals can be triggered with the help of streaming instability when the local pebble density is high. This can happen at various locations in the disk leading to the formation of local planetesimal rings. The planetesimals in these rings subsequently grow from mutual collisions and by pebble accretion. Aims. We investigate the early growth of protoplanetary embryos from a ring of planetesimals created from streaming instability to see if they reach sizes where they accrete pebbles efficiently. Methods. We simulate the early stages of planet formation for rings of planetesimals that we assume were created by streaming instability at various separations from the star and for various stellar masses using a semi-analytic model. Results. The rings in the inner disk are able to produce protoplanetary embryos in a short time whereas at large separations there is little to no growth. The growth of the largest bodies is significantly slower around lower-mass stars. Conclusions. The formation of planetary embryos from filaments during the disk lifetime is possible but strongly dependent on the separation from the star and the mass of the host star. It remains difficult to form the seeds of pebble accretion early in the outer disk \sim 50AU, especially for low-mass stars.

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arXiv2025

The Ophiuchus DIsk Survey Employing ALMA (ODISEA): Complete Size Distributions for the 100 Brightest Disks Across Multiplicity and SED Classes

The size of a protoplanetary disk is a fundamental property, yet most remain unresolved, even in nearby star-forming regions (d $\sim$ 140-200 pc). We present the complete continuum size distribution for the $105$ brightest protoplanetary disks (M$_{\text{dust}}$ $\gtrsim$ 2 M$_{\oplus}$) in the Ophiuchus cloud, obtained from ALMA Band 8 (410 GHz) observations at 0.05$^{\prime\prime}$ (7 au) to 0.15$^{\prime\prime}$ (21 au) resolution. This sample includes 54 Class II and 51 Class I and Flat Spectrum sources, providing a comprehensive distribution across evolutionary stages. We measure the Half Width at Half Maximum (HWHM) and the radius encircling $68\%$ of the flux ($R_{68\%}$) for most non-binary disks, yielding the largest flux-limited sample of resolved disks in any star-forming region. The distribution is log-normal with a median value of $\sim$14 au and a logarithmic standard deviation $σ_{\log} = 0.46$ (factor of 2.9 in linear scale). Disks in close binary systems ($<$ 200 au separation) have smaller radii, with median value of $\sim$5 au, indicating efficient radial drift as predicted by dust evolution models. The size distribution for young embedded objects (SED Class I and Flat Spectrum, age $\lesssim$ 1 Myr) is similar to that of Class II objects (age $\sim$ a few Myr), implying that pressure bumps must be common at early disk stages to prevent mm-sized particle migration at au scales.

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arXiv2024

A fading radius valley towards M-dwarfs, a persistent density valley across stellar types

The radius valley separating super-Earths from mini-Neptunes is a fundamental benchmark for theories of planet formation and evolution. Observations show that the location of the radius valley decreases with decreasing stellar mass and with increasing orbital period. Here, we build from our previous pebble-based formation model, which, combined with photoevaporation after disc dispersal, unveiled the radius valley as a separator between rocky- and water-worlds. We expand our models for a range of stellar masses spanning from 0.1 to 1.5 $M_\odot$. We find that the location of the radius valley is well described by a power-law in stellar mass as $R_{\rm valley} = 1.8197 \, M_{\star}^{\!0.14({+0.02}/{-0.01})}$, which is in excellent agreement with observations. We also find very good agreement with the dependence of the radius valley on orbital period, both for FGK- and M-dwarfs. Additionally, we note that the radius valley gets filled towards low stellar masses, particularly at 0.1-0.4 $M_\odot$, yielding a rather flat slope in $R_{\rm valley} - P_{\rm orb}$. This is the result of orbital migration occurring at lower planet mass for less massive stars, which allows for low-mass water-worlds to reach the inner regions of the system, blurring the separation in mass (and size) between rocky- and water-worlds. Furthermore, we find that for planetary equilibrium temperatures above 400 K, the water in the volatile layer exists fully in the form of steam, puffing the planet radius up compared to condensed-water worlds. This produces an increase in planet radii of $\sim 30\%$ at 1 $M_\oplus$, and of $\sim 15\%$ at 5 $M_\oplus$, compared to condensed-water-worlds. As with Sun-like stars, pebble accretion leaves its imprint on the overall exoplanet population as a depletion of planets with intermediate compositions, carving a valley in planet density for all spectral types (abridged).

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arXiv2023

Planet formation around Intermediate-mass stars I: Different disc evolutionary pathways as a function of stellar mass

The study of protoplanetary disc evolution and planet formation has mainly concentrated on solar (and low) mass stars since they host the majority of the confirmed exoplanets. Nevertheless, the numerous planets found orbiting stars up to $\sim3M_\odot$ has sparked interest in understanding how they form and how their hosting discs evolve. Our goal is to improve our knowledge on the gas disc evolution around intermediate mass stars for future planet formation studies. We study the long-term evolution of protoplanetary discs affected by viscous accretion, X-ray and FUV photoevaporation from the central star around stars between $1 - 3M_\odot$ considering the effects of stellar evolution. We explore different values of the viscosity parameter and the initial mass of the disc. We find that the evolutionary pathway of disc dispersal depends on the stellar mass. Our simulations reveal four distinct evolutionary pathways for the gas disc not reported before that are a consequence of stellar evolution, and which will likely impact dust evolution and planet formation. As the stellar mass grows from 1 to $\sim2M_\odot$, the disc evolution changes from the conventional inside-out clearing to a homogeneous disc evolution scenario where both inner and outer discs, formed after photoevaporation opened a gap, vanish over a similar timescale. As the stellar mass continues to increase, reaching $\sim 3M_\odot$, we have identified a distinct pathway that we refer to as revenant disc evolution, where the inner and outer discs reconnect after the gap opened. For the largest masses, we observe outside-in disc dispersal, in which the outer disc dissipates first due to the strong FUV photoevaporation. Revenant disc evolution stands out as it is capable of extending the disc lifespan. Otherwise, the disc dispersal time scale decreases with increasing stellar mass except for low viscosity discs.

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arXiv2023

Quantifying the Impact of the Dust Torque on the Migration of Low-mass Planets

Disk solids are critical in many planet formation processes, however, their effect on planet migration remains largely unexplored. Here we assess for the first time this important issue by building on the systematic measurements of dust torques on an embedded planet by Benitez-Llambay & Pessah (2018). Adopting standard models for the gaseous disk and its solid content, we quantify the impact of the dust torque for a wide range of conditions describing the disk/planet system. We show that the total torque can be positive and revert inward planet migration for planetary cores with $M_{\rm p} \lesssim 10 M_\oplus$. We compute formation tracks for low-mass embryos for conditions usually invoked when modeling planet formation processes. Our most important conclusion is that dust torques can have a significant impact on the migration and formation history of planetary embryos. The most important implications of our findings are: $\it{i})$ For nominal dust-to-gas mass ratios $ε\simeq 0.01$, low-mass planets migrate outwards beyond the water ice-line if most of the mass in solids is in particles with Stokes numbers St $\simeq 0.1$. $\it{ii})$. For $ε\gtrsim 0.02-0.05$, solids with small Stokes numbers, St $\simeq 0.01$, can play a dominant role if most of the mass is in those particles. $\it{iii})$ Dust torques have the potential to enable low-mass planetary cores formed in the inner disk to migrate outwards and act as the seed for massive planets at distances of tens of au.

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arXiv2022

Constraining mass, radius and tidal deformability of compact stars with axial wI modes: new universal relations including slow stable hybrid stars

We revisit asteroseismology with quadrupolar wI modes and present universal relationships for its fundamental and first overtone. In contrast to relationships proposed in the literature, our universal relationships are capable of including slow stable hybrid stars that appear when considering slow sharp hadron-quark phase transitions. We show that, if the frequency and damping time of the fundamental mode of a given pulsating object are measured, its mass, radius, and dimensionless tidal deformability can be inferred. Moreover, we show that the errors of such estimates are smaller than a few percent for the mass and radius. For the dimensionless tidal deformability, the errors are -- for compact objects with $M\gtrsim 1.4\,M_\odot$ -- in general smaller than ~100%. Comparison with previous universal relationships shows that the ones proposed in this work produce better estimates of the mass and radius of totally stable compact objects.

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arXiv2022

Breaking of universal relationships of axial wI-modes in hybrid stars: rapid and slow hadron-quark conversion scenarios

Multi-messenger astronomy with gravitational waves is a blooming area whose limits are not clear. After the first detection of binary black hole merger and the famous event GW170817 and its electromagnetic counterpart, the compact-object astrophysical community is starting to grasp the physical implications of such event and trying to improve numerical models to compare with future observations. Moreover, recent detections made by the NICER collaboration increased the tension between several theoretical models used to describe matter in the inner core of compact objects. In this paper, we focus on quadrupolar purely spacetime wI-modes of oscillating compact objects described using a wide range of hybrid equations of state able to include several theoretical possibilities of exotic matter in the inner core of such stars. We study the case in which a sharp first order hadron-quark phase transition occurs and explore the scenarios of rapid and slow phase conversions at the interface. We put special attention on the validity of universal relationships for the oscillation frequency and damping time that might help unravel the mysteries hidden at the inner cores of compact objects. We show that, within the slow conversion regime where extended branches of hybrid stars appear, universal relationships for wI-modes proposed in the literature do not hold.

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arXiv2021

Long live the disk: lifetimes of protoplanetary disks in hierarchical triple star systems and a possible explanation for HD 98800 B

The gas dissipation from a protoplanetary disk is one of the key processes affecting planet formation, and it is widely accepted that it happens on timescales of a few million years for disks around single stars. Over the last years, several protoplanetary disks have been discovered in multiple star systems, and despite the complex environment in which they find themselves, some of them seem to be quite old, a situation that may favor planet formation. A clear example of this is the disk around HD 98800 B, a binary in a hierarchical quadruple stellar system, which at a $\sim$10 Myr age seems to still be holding significant amounts of gas. Here we present a 1D+1D model to compute the vertical structure and gas evolution of circumbinary disks in hierarchical triple star systems considering different stellar and disk parameters. We show that tidal torques due to the inner binary together with the truncation of the disk due to the external companion strongly reduce the viscous accretion and expansion of the disk. Even allowing viscous accretion by tidal streams, disks in these kind of environments can survive for more than 10 Myr, depending on their properties, with photoevaporation being the main gas dissipation mechanism. We particularly apply our model to the circumbinary disk around HD 98800 B and confirm that its longevity, along with the current non-existence of a disk around the companion binary HD 98800 A, can be explained with our model and by this mechanism.

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arXiv2020

Most super-Earths formed by dry pebble accretion are less massive than 5 Earth masses

We study the formation of rocky planets by dry pebble accretion from self-consistent dust-growth models. In particular, we aim at computing the maximum core mass of a rocky planet that can sustain a thin H-He atmosphere to account for the second peak of the Kepler's size distribution. We simulate planetary growth by pebble accretion inside the ice line. The pebble flux is computed self-consistently from dust growth by solving the advection-diffusion equation for a representative dust size. Dust coagulation, drift, fragmentation and sublimation at the water iceline are included. The disc evolution is computed for $α$-discs with photoevaporation from the central star. The planets grow from a moon-mass embryo by silicate pebble accretion and gas accretion. We analyse the effect of a different initial disc mass, $α$-viscosity, disc metallicity and embryo location. Finally, we compute atmospheric mass-loss due to evaporation. We find that inside the ice line, the fragmentation barrier determines the size of pebbles, which leads to different planetary growth patterns for different disc viscosities. Within the iceline the pebble isolation mass typically decays to values below 5 M$_{\oplus}$ within the first million years of disc evolution, limiting the core masses to that value. After computing atmospheric-mass loss, we find that planets with cores below $\sim$4 M$_{\oplus}$ get their atmospheres completely stripped, and a few 4-5 M$_{\oplus}$ cores retain a thin atmosphere that places them in the gap/second peak of the Kepler size distribution. Overall, we find that rocky planets form only in low-viscosity discs ($α\lesssim 10^{-4}$). When $α\geq 10^{-3}$, rocky objects do not grow beyond Mars-mass. The most typical outcome of dry pebble accretion is terrestrial planets with masses spanning from Mars to $\sim$4 M$_{\oplus}$.

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arXiv2020

The Nature of the Radius Valley: Hints from Formation and Evolution Models

The existence of a Radius Valley in the Kepler size distribution stands as one of the most important observational constraints to understand the origin and composition of exoplanets with radii between that of Earth and Neptune. The goal of this work is to provide insights into the existence of the Radius Valley from, first, a pure formation point of view, and second, a combined formation-evolution model. We run global planet formation simulations including the evolution of dust by coagulation, drift and fragmentation; and the evolution of the gaseous disc by viscous accretion and photoevaporation. A planet grows from a moon-mass embryo by either silicate or icy pebble accretion, depending on its position with respect to the water ice line. We account for gas accretion and type-I/II migration. We perform an extensive parameter study evaluating a wide range in disc properties and embryo's initial location. We account for photoevaporation driven mass-loss after formation. We find that due to the change in dust properties at the water ice line, rocky cores form typically with $\sim$3 M$_{\oplus}$ and have a maximum mass of $\sim$5 M$_{\oplus}$, while icy cores peak at $\sim$10 $M_{\oplus}$, with masses lower than 5 M$_{\oplus}$ being scarce. When neglecting the gaseous envelope, rocky and icy cores account naturally for the two peaks of the Kepler size distribution. The presence of massive envelopes for cores more massive than $\sim$10 M$_{\oplus}$ inflates the radii of those planets above 4 R$_{\oplus}$. While the first peak of the Kepler size distribution is undoubtedly populated by bare rocky cores, the second peak can host water-rich planets with thin H-He atmospheres. Some envelope-loss mechanism should operate efficiently at short orbital periods to explain the presence of $\sim$10-40 M$_{\oplus}$ planets falling in the second peak of the size distribution.

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arXiv2020

How Jupiters save or destroy inner Neptunes around evolved stars

In about 6 Giga years our Sun will evolve into a red giant and finally end its life as a white dwarf. This stellar metamorphosis will occur to virtually all known host stars of exo-planetary systems and is therefore crucial for their final fate. It is clear that the innermost planets will be engulfed and evaporated during the giant phase and that planets located farther out will survive. However, the destiny of planets in-between, at ~ 1 - 10 au, has not yet been investigated with a multi-planet tidal treatment. We here combine for the first time multi-planet interactions, stellar evolution, and tidal effects in an N-body code to study the evolution of a Neptune-Jupiter planetary system. We report that the fate of the Neptune-mass planet, located closer to the star than the Jupiter-mass planet, can be very different from the fate of a single Neptune. The simultaneous effects of gravitational interactions, mass loss and tides can drive the planetary system towards mean motion resonances. Crossing these resonances affects particularly the eccentricity of the Neptune and thereby also its fate, which can be engulfment, collision with the Jupiter-mass planet, ejection from the system, or survival at a larger separation.

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arXiv2020

Setting the Stage: Planet formation and Volatile Delivery

The diversity in mass and composition of planetary atmospheres stems from the different building blocks present in protoplanetary discs and from the different physical and chemical processes that these experience during the planetary assembly and evolution. This review aims to summarise, in a nutshell, the key concepts and processes operating during planet formation, with a focus on the delivery of volatiles to the inner regions of the planetary system.

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arXiv2019

Hybrid magnetized stars within the Field Correlator Method

We present preliminary results of the study of intense magnetic fields effects on hybrid stars. For the description of the hadronic phase, we use the relativistic mean field approximation. For the quark matter phase, we employ the Field Correlator Method formalism. Once the the equation of state is built, we discuss the pressure anisotropy due the presence of the strong magnetic field. Finally, we calculate the structure of the compact stars using magnetized hybrid equations of state and their oscillation modes related with the emission of gravitational waves.

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arXiv2018

Oscillation modes of hybrid stars within the relativistic Cowling approximation

The first direct detection of gravitational waves has opened a new window to study the Universe and would probably start a new era: the gravitational wave Astronomy. Gravitational waves emitted by compact objects like neutron stars could provide significant information about their structure, composition and evolution. In this paper we calculate, using the relativistic Cowling approximation, the oscillations of compact stars focusing on hybrid stars, with and without a mixed phase in their cores. We study the existence of a possible hadron-quark phase transition in the central regions of neutron stars and the changes it produces on the gravitational modes frequencies emitted by these stars. We pay particular attention to the $g$-modes, which are extremely important as they could signal the existence of pure quark matter inside neutron stars. Our results show a relationship between the frequency of the $g$-modes and the constant speed of sound parametrization for the quark matter phase. We also show that the inclusion of color superconductivity produces an increase on the oscillation frequencies. We propose that observations of $g$-modes with frequencies $f_{\rm g}$ between $1$ kHz and $1.5$ kHz should be interpreted as an evidence of a sharp hadron-quark phase transition in the core of a compact object.

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