No Arabic abstract
We develop a simple model to predict the radial distribution of planetesimal formation. The model is based on the observed growth of dust to mm-sized particles, which drift radially, pile-up, and form planetesimals where the stopping time and dust-to-gas ratio intersect the allowed region for streaming instability-induced gravitational collapse. Using an approximate analytic treatment, we first show that drifting particles define a track in metallicity--stopping time space whose only substantial dependence is on the disks angular momentum transport efficiency. Prompt planetesimal formation is feasible for high particle accretion rates (relative to the gas, $dot{M}_p / dot{M} > 3 times 10^{-2}$ for $alpha = 10^{-2}$), that could only be sustained for a limited period of time. If it is possible, it would lead to the deposition of a broad and massive belt of planetesimals with a sharp outer edge. Including turbulent diffusion and vapor condensation processes numerically, we find that a modest enhancement of solids near the snow line occurs for cm-sized particles, but that this is largely immaterial for planetesimal formation. We note that radial drift couples planetesimal formation across radii in the disk, and suggest that considerations of planetesimal formation favor a model in which the initial deposition of material for giant planet cores occurs well beyond the snow line.
Context: The formation of rocky planetesimals is a long-standing problem in planet formation theory. One of the possibilities is that it results from gravitational instability as a result of pile-up of small silicate dust particles released from sublimating icy pebbles that pass the snow line. Aims: We want to understand and quantify the role of the water snow line for the formation of rock-rich and ice-rich planetesimals. In this paper, we focus on the formation of rock-rich planetesimals. A companion paper examines the combined formation of both rock-rich and ice-rich planetesimals. Methods: We develop a new Monte Carlo code to calculate the radial evolution of silicate particles in a turbulent accretion disk, accounting for the back-reaction (i.e., inertia) of the particles on their radial drift velocity and diffusion. Results depend in particular on the particle injection width (determined from the radial sublimation width of icy pebbles), the pebble scale height and the pebble mass flux through the disk. The scale height evolution of the silicate particles, which is the most important factor for the runaway pile-up, is automatically calculated in this Lagrange method. Results: From the numerical results, we derive semi-analytical relations for the scale height of the silicate dust particles and the particles-to-gas density ratio at the midplane, as functions of a pebble-to-gas mass flux ratio and the $alpha$ parameters for disk gas accretion and vertical/radial diffusion. We find that the runaway pile-up of the silicate particles (formation of rocky planetesimals) occurs if the pebble-to-gas mass flux ratio is $> [(alpha_{Dz}/alpha_{acc})/3 times 10^{-2}]^{1/2}$ where $alpha_{Dz}$ and $alpha_{acc}$ are the $alpha$ parameters for vertical turbulent diffusion and disk gas accretion.
We present the analysis of the gravitational microlensing event OGLE-2011-BLG-0251. This anomalous event was observed by several survey and follow-up collaborations conducting microlensing observations towards the Galactic Bulge. Based on detailed modelling of the observed light curve, we find that the lens is composed of two masses with a mass ratio q=1.9 x 10^-3. Thanks to our detection of higher-order effects on the light curve due to the Earths orbital motion and the finite size of source, we are able to measure the mass and distance to the lens unambiguously. We find that the lens is made up of a planet of mass 0.53 +- 0.21,M_Jup orbiting an M dwarf host star with a mass of 0.26 +- 0.11 M_Sun. The planetary system is located at a distance of 2.57 +- 0.61 kpc towards the Galactic Centre. The projected separation of the planet from its host star is d=1.408 +- 0.019, in units of the Einstein radius, which corresponds to 2.72 +- 0.75 AU in physical units. We also identified a competitive model with similar planet and host star masses, but with a smaller orbital radius of 1.50 +- 0.50 AU. The planet is therefore located beyond the snow line of its host star, which we estimate to be around 1-1.5 AU.
Characterizing a planet detected by microlensing is hard if the planetary signal is weak or the lens-source relative trajectory is far from caustics. However, statistical analyses of planet demography must include those planets to accurately determine occurrence rates. As part of a systematic modeling effort in the context of a $>10$-year retrospective analysis of MOAs survey observations to build an extended MOA statistical sample, we analyze the light curve of the planetary microlensing event MOA-2014-BLG-472. This event provides weak constraints on the physical parameters of the lens, as a result of a planetary anomaly occurring at low magnification in the light curve. We use a Bayesian analysis to estimate the properties of the planet, based on a refined Galactic model and the assumption that all Milky Ways stars have an equal planet-hosting probability. We find that a lens consisting of a $1.9^{+2.2}_{-1.2},mathrm{M}_mathrm{J}$ giant planet orbiting a $0.31^{+0.36}_{-0.19},mathrm{M}_odot$ host at a projected separation of $0.75pm0.24,mathrm{au}$ is consistent with the observations and is most likely, based on the Galactic priors. The lens most probably lies in the Galactic bulge, at $7.2^{+0.6}_{-1.7}mathrm{kpc}$ from Earth. The accurate measurement of the measured planet-to-host star mass ratio will be included in the next statistical analysis of cold planet demography detected by microlensing.
We present an observational reconstruction of the radial water vapor content near the surface of the TW Hya transitional protoplanetary disk, and report the first localization of the snow line during this phase of disk evolution. The observations are comprised of Spitzer-IRS, Herschel-PACS, and Herschel-HIFI archival spectra. The abundance structure is retrieved by fitting a two-dimensional disk model to the available star+disk photometry and all observed H2O lines, using a simple step-function parameterization of the water vapor content near the disk surface. We find that water vapor is abundant (~10^{-4} per H2) in a narrow ring, located at the disk transition radius some 4AU from the central star, but drops rapidly by several orders of magnitude beyond 4.2 AU over a scale length of no more than 0.5AU. The inner disk (0.5-4AU) is also dry, with an upper limit on the vertically averaged water abundance of 10^{-6} per H2. The water vapor peak occurs at a radius significantly more distant than that expected for a passive continuous disk around a 0.6 Msun star, representing a volatile distribution in the TW Hya disk that bears strong similarities to that of the solar system. This is observational evidence for a snow line that moves outward with time in passive disks, with a dry inner disk that results either from gas giant formation or gas dissipation and a significant ice reservoir at large radii. The amount of water present near the snow line is sufficient to potentially catalyze the (further) formation of planetesimals and planets at distances beyond a few AU.
Content: For up to a few millions of years, pebbles must provide a quasi-steady inflow of solids from the outer parts of protoplanetary disks to their inner regions. Aims: We wish to understand how a significant fraction of the pebbles grows into planetesimals instead of being lost to the host star. Methods:We examined analytically how the inward flow of pebbles is affected by the snow line and under which conditions dust-rich (rocky) planetesimals form. When calculating the inward drift of solids that is due to gas drag, we included the back-reaction of the gas to the motion of the solids. Results: We show that in low-viscosity protoplanetary disks (with a monotonous surface density similar to that of the minimum-mass solar nebula), the flow of pebbles does not usually reach the required surface density to form planetesimals by streaming instability. We show, however, that if the pebble-to-gas-mass flux exceeds a critical value, no steady solution can be found for the solid-to-gas ratio. This is particularly important for low-viscosity disks (alpha < 10^(-3)) where we show that inside of the snow line, silicate-dust grains ejected from sublimating pebbles can accumulate, eventually leading to the formation of dust-rich planetesimals directly by gravitational instability. Conclusions: This formation of dust-rich planetesimals may occur for extended periods of time, while the snow line sweeps from several au to inside of 1 au. The rock-to-ice ratio may thus be globally significantly higher in planetesimals and planets than in the central star.