Shedding Light on Desert Dwellers

Abstract The “sub-Jovian desert” (2 ≲ R p ≲ 10 R ⊕ , periods ≲3 days) is sparsely populated but no longer empty. Recent surveys have revealed that planets residing in the desert are dense ( ρ ≳ 1 g cm −3 ), massive (∼10−50 M ⊕ ), and orbit metal-rich stars that are indistinguishable from those hosting hot Jupiters. However, their origins remain mysterious. In this work, we adopt and test the hypothesis that tidal destruction of hot Jupiters can populate the sub-Jovian desert with stripped remnant planets. We first show that stars hosting desert dwellers exhibit Galactic kinematics indicative of an older population descended from those hosting hot Jupiters. We highlight that tidally driven Roche-lobe overflow…