Overstability of the 2:1 mean motion resonance: Exploring disc parameters with hydrodynamic simulations

Abstract

Context. Resonant planetary migration in protoplanetary discs can lead to an interplay between the resonant interaction of planets and their disc torques called overstability. While theoretical predictions and N-body simulations hinted at its existence, there was no conclusive evidence until hydrodynamical simulations were performed. Aims. Our primary purpose is to find a hydrodynamic setup that induces overstability in a planetary system with two moderate-mass planets in a first-order 2:1 mean motion resonance. We also aim to analyse the impact of key disc parameters, namely the viscosity, surface density, and aspect ratio, on the occurrence of overstability in this planetary system when the masses of the planets are kept constant. Methods. We performed 2D locally isothermal hydrodynamical simulations of two planets, with masses of 5 and 10 M⊕, in a 2:1 resonance. Upon identifying the fiducial model in which the system exhibits overstability, we performed simulations with different disc parameters to explore the effects of the disc on the overstability of the system. Results. We observe an overstable planetary system in our hydrodynamic simulations. In the parameter study, we note that overstability occurs in discs characterised by low surface density and low viscosity. Increasing the surface density reduces the probability of overstability within the system. A limit cycle was observed in a specific viscous model with αv = 10−3. In almost all our models, planets create partial gaps in the disc, which affects both the migration timescale and structure of the planetary system. Conclusions. We demonstrate the existence of overstability using hydrodynamic simulations but find deviations from the analytic approximation and show that the main contribution to this deviation can be attributed to dynamic gap opening.