On the accumulation of planetesimals near disc gaps created by protoplanets

TL;DR

This study uses 3D hydrodynamical models to show that high-mass planets can trap solid bodies at disc gaps, leading to potential formation of planetesimals or planets from accumulated material.

Contribution

It demonstrates that gap edges created by massive planets can efficiently trap metre-sized solids, facilitating planetesimal formation, a process supported by previous findings.

Findings

High-mass planets open deep gas gaps trapping solids.

Metre-sized bodies accumulate at gap edges efficiently.

Bound clumps of several Earth masses may form, collapsing into planets.

Abstract

We have performed three-dimensional two-fluid (gas-dust) hydrodynamical models of circumstellar discs with embedded protoplanets (3 - 333 M\oplu) and small solid bodies (radii 10cm to 10m). We find that high mass planets (\gtrsim Saturn mass) open sufficiently deep gaps in the gas disc such that the density maximum at the outer edge of the gap can very efficiently trap metre-sized solid bodies. This allows the accumulation of solids at the outer edge of the gap as solids from large radii spiral inwards to the trapping region. This process of accumulation occurs fastest for those bodies that spiral inwards most rapidly, typically metre-sized boulders, whilst smaller and larger objects will not migrate sufficiently rapidly in the discs lifetime to benefit from the process. Around a Jupiter mass planet we find that bound clumps of solid material, as large as several Earth masses, may form, potentially collapsing under self-gravity to form planets or planetesimals. These results are in agreement with Lyra et al. (2009), supporting their finding that the formation of a second generation of planetesimals or of terrestrial mass planets may be triggered by the presence of a high mass planet.