The effect of gas drag on the growth of protoplanets

Planetary bodies form by accretion of smaller bodies. It has been suggested that a very efficient way to grow protoplanets is by accreting particles of size ≪km (e.g., chondrules, boulders, or fragments of larger bodies) as they can be kept dynamically cold. We investigate the effects of gas drag on the impact radii and the accretion rates of these particles. As simplifying assumptions we restrict our analysis to 2D settings, a gas drag law linear in velocity, and a laminar disk characterized by a smooth (global) pressure gradient that causes particles to drift in radially. These approximations, however, enable us to cover an arbitrary large parameter space. The framework of the circularly restricted three…

• AV
  Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung