Early Build-up of Ringed Planet-Forming Disks

Introduction

With one planet per star on average, planet formation must be a robust process. Yet, surprisingly, we still do not fully understand how planet formation works. Current models for planet formation usually assume pre-existing smooth disks and homogeneously distributed planetesimals of arbitrary composition. In contrast, recent results highlight the crucial role of early stage disk sub-structure, inhomogeneous accretion, and carbon depletion processes on the final planetary systems. Until now, adequate techniques to model these dynamic, complex systems in a computationally cost-efficient way were lacking.

Project Aim

The overall aim of EARLYBIRD is therefore to overcome this bottleneck and track the planet-building material and its composition through the initial formation of disks into the populations of planetesimals and planets. The project seeks to reveal in which ways these processes are observable in older disks and exoplanets.

Specific Objectives

The project concretely will:

1. Determine the global effects of streamers/sustained infall on early evolution of disks and planet formation.
2. Study how outbursts and dust evolution interact and determine the effect of high dust-to-gas ratio infall on planetesimal formation.
3. Track compositional changes (e.g. carbon, CO, water) during planet formation.
4. Decipher the observable properties all these scenarios imprint in the distribution and composition of small dust, planetesimals, and planets.

Methodology

Based on my pioneering work on disk particle growth and transport, EARLYBIRD will utilize highly innovative 3D modeling techniques, which are unique in being calibrated against full coagulation models and still are two magnitudes faster than a full solver.

Impact

The project will thereby not only enable me to fully exploit the information imprinted by the disk formation stages on planet formation, but also pave the way for cost-efficient 3D modeling of dynamic systems in neighboring fields.