Unlikegas giants in oursolar system, hot Jupitershaveorbits that swing tightly aroundtheir stars, saysSean Raymond, study co-author and astrophysicist at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
The researchers, led by SeanRaymond, of the University of Colorado at Boulder, carried out computer simulations of gas giant migration in forming planetary systems.
"The eccentric planetary orbits seen in these systems are essentially scars from past disruptions caused by the companion star, " co-author SeanRaymond, of the University of Bordeaux and the National Center for Scientific Research in France, said in a statement.