PreprintarXiv licencearXiv
Triggering star formation by free-floating planets
Abstract
Recently, a population of free-floating planets has been discovered in the Galaxy. This paper examines the influence of the planets trapped within a protostellar hydrogen clouds on the processes of gravitational instability in the gas. A sufficiently massive planet can become an alternative dynamic center for the contracting cloud. This occurs due to rapid mass growth from accretion onto the planet within the cloud. Owing to residual velocity and density gradients in the cloud, the planet that triggers star formation is likely to end up in a distant orbit around the newborn star. Some second- and subsequent-generation stars in the Galaxy may have formed via this mechanism.
Related
- The Galactic Dynamics of Free-Floating Planets: From Ejection Kicks to Microlensing
- Limits on a Host Star around a Saturn-mass Free-floating Planet Candidate KMT-2024-BLG-0792/OGLE-2024-BLG-0516
- J-PAS: Exploring the connection between local environment and the triggering of bursty star formation in Extreme Emission Line Galaxies
- Contribution of White Dwarf Formation Kicks to the Free-floating Planet Population
- Contribution of White Dwarf Formation Kicks to the Free-Floating Planet Population
BibTeX
@misc{eroshenko2026triggering,
title = {{Triggering star formation by free-floating planets}},
author = {Yu. N. Eroshenko},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.28744},
eprint = {2609.28744},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.28744},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Triggering star formation by free-floating planets
AU - Yu. N. Eroshenko
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/23
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.28744
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.28744
AB - Recently, a population of free-floating planets has been discovered in the Galaxy. This paper examines the influence of the planets trapped within a protostellar hydrogen clouds on the processes of gravitational instability in the gas. A sufficiently massive planet can become an alternative dynamic center for the contracting cloud. This occurs due to rapid mass growth from accretion onto the planet within the cloud. Owing to residual velocity and density gradients in the cloud, the planet that triggers star formation is likely to end up in a distant orbit around the newborn star. Some second- and subsequent-generation stars in the Galaxy may have formed via this mechanism.
ER -