https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20101103002
Bodily Tides
School of Mathematical Sciences
[rosemary.mardling@monash.edu]
The equilibrium tide model in the weak friction approximation is used by the binary star and exoplanet communities to study the tidal evolution of short-period systems. However, each uses a slightly different approach which potentially leads to different conclusions about the timescales on which various processes occur. Here we present an overview of these two approaches, and show that for short-period planets the circularization timescales they predict differ by at most a factor of a few. A discussion of the timescales for orbital decay, spin-orbit synchronization and spin-oribt alignment is also presented.
© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2011
