Sub-Snowline Formation of Gas-Giant Planets in Binary Systems

Giant planets are thought to build their cores beyond the “snow line”, where water ice solids catalyze efficient planetary core growth [1, 2]. In close binary star systems, however, the companion star’s gravity shrinks the region where orbits are long-term stable [3, 4], effectively excluding the zone where giants should form. Nevertheless, here we show that such systems exist and are not rare. Among 393 binary systems with measured orbits and circumstellar gas giants, we identify 17 for which the snowline region is unstable. The distribution of their metallicities and eccentricities is consistent with the background population, making a capture origin or enhanced solids abundance unlikely causes for their formation. Instead, we show that the sub-snowline formation paradox can be resolved by the tidal torque from the companion, which truncates the protoplanetary disk and creates an inner dust trap. After removing evolved stellar systems (white dwarfs or red-giant stars) and higher-order systems, we find that gas giants’ position is a linear function of the truncation radius. Using this model, we can successfully predict the observed locations of gas giants from their host binary properties. Moreover, evolved systems are generally inconsistent with the predictions, which further supports the model and points to these being second-generation planets. Our results have therefore key implications for understanding planet formation processes and provide observational support for sub-snowline gas-giant formation and the role of trap-dusts in their formation.