Dynamical Stability of the Planetary System Kepler-197

• Grant number: 25/12104-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy - Positional Astronomy and Celestial Mechanics
• Principal Investigator: Othon Cabo Winter
• Grantee: Vitor Farabello Lopes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEG). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Guaratinguetá. Guaratinguetá , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The project aims to investigate the dynamic stability of the Kepler-197 planetary system, composed of four planets detected by transit during the Kepler mission. This system is characterized by compact orbits, the absence of evident orbital resonances, and possible high orbital eccentricities, especially of the planet Kepler-197e, which raises doubts about its long-term stability.The proposal seeks to determine which mass and eccentricity transfers keep the system stable over millions of years. To this end, numerical tools will be used, through N-body simulations with the REBOUND package, and analyses, with the application of a semi-empirical research proposed by Lammers et al. (2024) to estimate the time until instability between pairs of planets.In addition to the dynamic analysis, the project also contributes to the physical characterization of the system, by using empirical mass-radius relationships from the literature to estimate the masses of the planets based on the transmitted radii. Based on the simulations and models, a statistical analysis will be performed to identify the most likely parameters that guarantee the stability of the system.The work is structured in stages that involve bibliographical research, learning computational techniques, running simulations, analyzing data and writing a report. This project will provide the student with practical and theoretical training in astrophysics and orbital dynamics, in addition to contributing to knowledge about the formation and evolution of compact planetary systems. (AU)