The Great Planetary Heist: theft and capture in star-forming regions

ABSTRACT Gravitational interactions in star-forming regions are capable of disrupting and destroying planetary systems, as well creating new ones. In particular, a planet can be stolen, where it is directly exchanged between passing stars during an interaction; or captured, first ejected from its birth system free-floating for period time, before being captured by star. We perform sets direct N-body simulations young, substructured regions, follow their evolution 10 Myr order to determine how many planets stolen respective orbital properties. show that high-density have distinct The semimajor axis distribution significantly skewed wider orbits compared the still orbiting parent star (preserved planets). However, eccentricity inclination distributions similar, but turn very different preserved planets. low-density these differences not could still, principle, used whether observed exoplanets likely formed situ been captured. find initial degree spatial kinematic substructure region important factor stellar density determining will altered, disrupted, stolen.