Observational signatures of extrasolar Late Heavy Bombardments

Details Observational signatures of extrasolar Late Heavy Bombardments Observational signatures of extrasolar Late Heavy Bombardments

May 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007sptz.prop40380t&link_type=abstract

Spitzer Proposal ID #40380

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Spitzer observations have revealed hot dust around some Sun-like stars, at luminosities about three orders of magnitude higher than predicted by quasi-steady state disk evolution models. These findings have been interpreted as the signposts of a system-wide cataclysmic event analogous to the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB) experienced by our own Solar System. At the same time, the frequency of detection of these events is consistent with ALL Solar-type stars passing through such a phase at some point in their lifetime. We propose to undertake an in-depth theoretical investigation of the ramifications of this intriguing result, which seems to be telling us something profound about the planet formation process---including how our own system fits into the picture. Using N-body simulations of planets embedded in planetesimal disks, and building on existing models, we intend to explore the pathways by which a planetary system can undergo a LHB-like event, and the different ways in which such events can play out. For each simulated system, we will calculate the dust generated by planetesimal collisions. In this way, we will generate a library of time-evolving dust distributions; these will allow us to make direct comparisons to existing Spitzer data, as well as testable predictions to guide future observations. Our results will be made available to the astronomy community via a series of papers to be published over the funding period.

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