Matthew Holman et al. (1997)
Shows Lidov–Kozai-type chaos can drive large, long-term eccentricity swings for the 16 Cyg B planet in a wide binary.
The work argues that the unusually high eccentricity of the planet around 16 Cygni B can arise naturally from secular perturbations by the distant stellar companion, in the Lidov–Kozai resonance regime. It highlights that the planet’s eccentricity need not be static: it can undergo chaotic, large-amplitude variations over long timescales rather than simple periodic cycles. This provided an early, influential link between wide-binary architecture and eccentric exoplanet orbits, motivating later studies of Kozai cycles (and chaotic Kozai dynamics) in planet formation and migration scenarios.
Secular dynamical analysis of a hierarchical triple (planet–host star–distant companion) emphasizing Lidov–Kozai-driven evolution and chaos.
Celestial mechanics of hierarchical three-body systems, secular perturbation theory, and Lidov–Kozai resonance basics.