Velocity-Dependent Catastrophic Disruption Criteria for Planetesimals

Details Velocity-Dependent Catastrophic Disruption Criteria for Planetesimals Velocity-Dependent Catastrophic Disruption Criteria for Planetesimals

Feb 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009apj...691l.133s&link_type=abstract

The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Volume 691, Issue 2, pp. L133-L137 (2009).

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

61

Comets: General, Kuiper Belt, Minor Planets, Asteroids, Solar System: Formation

Scientific paper

The resistance of planetesimals to collisional erosion changes dramatically during planet formation. The transition between accretion and erosion from a collision is defined by the relationship between the mass of the largest remnant (M lr) and the normalized specific impact energy (Q/Q* D ), where Q* D are the size-dependent catastrophic disruption criteria (the Q required to disperse half the target mass). Here, we calculate Q* D for gravitationally bound aggregates subject to low-velocity collisions (1-300 m s-1) and compare the results to previous work at high velocities. We find that Q* D varies by orders of magnitude depending on the impact velocity and material properties. We define new variables to describe catastrophic disruption that remove ambiguities (over material density and projectile-to-target mass ratio) that are inherent in the traditional variables (Q and target radius): R C1 is the spherical radius of the combined projectile and target masses (M tot) at a density of 1 g cm-3, QR is 0.5μV 2 i/M tot (μ is the reduced mass and V i is the impact velocity), and Q* RD is the QR required to disperse half the combined mass. We derive a universal law for the largest remnant, M lr/M tot = -0.5(QR /Q* RD - 1) + 0.5, and velocity-dependent catastrophic disruption criteria for strong and weak planetesimals for use in numerical studies of planet formation. Weak aggregate bodies are easily disrupted due to efficient momentum coupling during low-velocity collisions. Collisional growth of planetesimals requires a dynamically cold environment; alternatively, a noncollisional mechanism is required to form planetesimals large enough to be resistant to collisional disruption (several tens of kilometers).

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Velocity-Dependent Catastrophic Disruption Criteria for Planetesimals 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 Velocity-Dependent Catastrophic Disruption Criteria for Planetesimals, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Velocity-Dependent Catastrophic Disruption Criteria for Planetesimals will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-836773