An Analytical Model for the Eccentricity Cascade: Hot Jupiter Formation via S-type Instability

Abstract A widely explored pathway for hot Jupiter (HJ) formation is high-eccentricity migration driven by von Zeipel–Lidov–Kozai cycles induced by an exterior companion. However, for a distant or low-mass companion, this mechanism typically demands that the planet’s initial orbit be very nearly perpendicular to that of the companion. In previous work, we demonstrated that such fine-tuning can be circumvented in the HAT-P-7 system, due to the presence of an intermediate body that efficiently couples the orbits of the planet and the distant companion—a mechanism we termed the eccentricity cascade (EC). In this work, we analytically characterize the dynamics governing the EC and delineate the parameter space within which it effectively operates. Our qualitative results are as follows: (i) The proto-HJ’s eccentricity is most efficiently excited when the inner triple is on the verge of dynamical instability, (ii) the addition of a distant fourth body allows this instability to be approached gradually, and (iii) the instability mechanism is closely related to the stability of circumstellar (S-type) planets in binaries. By deriving an analytic criterion for S-type instability, we obtain closed-form expressions describing the onset of the EC. Our results show that efficient HJ formation via the EC occurs across a broad range of intermediate perturbers, highlighting its potential as a robust migration channel.