Planetary systems 7404-PLANETSYS

1) Introduction to Planetary Systems

- Overview of Planetary Systems, basic definitions and components (stars, planets, moons, small bodies)
- The Solar System vs. extrasolar systems: similarities and differences
- Historical foundations of celestial mechanics (Kepler, Newton)

2) Kepler problem and Multi-Body Dynamics
- Kepler’s laws
- The planetary N-Body Problem
- Hands-on: Databases of planetary systems, JPL Horizons

3) Exoplanet detection techniques
- Exoplanet detection methods (radial velocity, transit, microlensing, timing, and astrometry)
- Dynamical information derived from observational time series (mass, orbital parameters)
- The role of space and ground surveys in exoplanet research (e.g., TESS, JWST, ELT, ALMA)
- Hands-on: case studies of time series analysis (Allesfitter)

4) Orbital perturbations and stability
- Gravitational and relativistic perturbations, tides
- Secular phenomena: apsidal and nodal precession
- Hands-on: software packages to study orbital evolution and physical phenomena governing the evolution of planetary systems (REBOUND)

5) Dynamical and physical characteristics of exoplanet systems
- Distribution of eccentricities, inclinations, and implications for formation theories
- Observed patterns in exoplanetary system architecture

6) Resonant dynamics and long term stability
- Orbital Resonances
- Tidal locking, spin dynamics, and synchronous rotation
- Introduction to chaotic systems, Lyapunov timescales
- KAM theorem and implications
- Stability of the Solar System and extrasolar planetary systems
- Hands-on: regular and chaotic dynamics of planetary systems (REBOUND)

7) Formation of planetary systems
- Recent theories of planetary formation
- Role of host star type, metallicity, binarity and protoplanetary disk properties
- Planetary migration and shaping planetary systems

8) Dynamics of terrestrial and habitable planets
- Terrestrial and super-Earth planet dynamics
- The habitable zone and factors influencing habitability, evolution and stability over time
- Compact planet systems in the Kepler/K2/Tess/Cheops sample

9) Dynamics of small bodies (asteroids, comets)
- Orbital characteristics of asteroids, comets, and near-Earth objects
- Debris disks and planet formation

10) Jovian planets and brown dwarfs
- Orbital and physical characteristics of gas and ice giants
- Ring dynamics, shepherd moons, and collisional processes