Relative velocities among accreting planetesimals in binary systems: the circumbinary case

TL;DR

This study uses numerical simulations to analyze how binary star systems influence planetesimal collision velocities and the potential for planet formation in circumbinary disks, considering various binary configurations.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the critical distances for planetesimal accretion in binary systems, accounting for binary parameters and gas drag effects.

Findings

Critical accretion zones depend on binary mass ratio and eccentricity.

Equal-mass, circular binaries favor closer planetesimal accretion.

Higher eccentricity and lower mass ratio increase the critical distance.

Abstract

We numerically investigate the possibility of planetesimal accretion in circumbinary disks, under the coupled influence of both stars' secular perturbations and friction due to the gaseous component of the protoplanetary disk. We focus on one crucial parameter: the distribution of encounter velocities between planetesimals in the 0.5 to 100km size range. An extended range of binary systems with differing orbital parameters is explored. The resulting encounter velocities are compared to the threshold velocities below which the net outcome of a collision is accumulation into a larger body instead of mass erosion. For each binary configuration, we derive the critical radial distance from the binary barycenter beyond which planetesimal accretion is possible. This critical radial distance is smallest for equal-mass binaries on almost circular orbits. It shifts to larger values for increasing eccentricities and decreasing mass ratio. The importance of the planetesimals' orbital alignments of planetesimals due to gas drag effects is discussed.