A low mass for Mars from Jupiter's early gas-driven migration

Details A low mass for Mars from Jupiter's early gas-driven migration A low mass for Mars from Jupiter's early gas-driven migration

2012-01-25

arxiv.org/abs/1201.5177v1

Nature 475, 206-209 (14 July 2011)

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

12 pages, 4 figures + Supplementary Material 46 pages, 10 figures

Scientific paper

10.1038/nature10201

Jupiter and Saturn formed in a few million years (Haisch et al. 2001) from a gas-dominated protoplanetary disk, and were susceptible to gas-driven migration of their orbits on timescales of only ~100,000 years (Armitage 2007). Hydrodynamic simulations show that these giant planets can undergo a two-stage, inward-then-outward, migration (Masset & Snellgrove 2001, Morbidelli & Crida 2007, Pierens & Nelson 2008). The terrestrial planets finished accreting much later (Klein et al. 2009), and their characteristics, including Mars' small mass, are best reproduced by starting from a planetesimal disk with an outer edge at about one astronomical unit from the Sun (Wetherill 1978, Hansen 2009) (1 AU is the Earth-Sun distance). Here we report simulations of the early Solar System that show how the inward migration of Jupiter to 1.5 AU, and its subsequent outward migration, lead to a planetesimal disk truncated at 1 AU; the terrestrial planets then form from this disk over the next 30-50 million years, with an Earth/Mars mass ratio consistent with observations. Scattering by Jupiter initially empties but then repopulates the asteroid belt, with inner-belt bodies originating between 1 and 3 AU and outer-belt bodies originating between and beyond the giant planets. This explains the significant compositional differences across the asteroid belt. The key aspect missing from previous models of terrestrial planet formation is the substantial radial migration of the giant planets, which suggests that their behaviour is more similar to that inferred for extrasolar planets than previously thought.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

A low mass for Mars from Jupiter's early gas-driven migration does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with A low mass for Mars from Jupiter's early gas-driven migration, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and A low mass for Mars from Jupiter's early gas-driven migration will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-682826