Revisiting Jovian-Resonance Induced Chondrule Formation

TL;DR

This study reexamines Jovian resonances' role in forming chondrules, revealing that planetesimals can reach velocities over 12 km/s near the 3:1 resonance, effectively producing chondrules in the asteroid belt.

Contribution

It demonstrates that including secular resonance effects allows planetesimals to attain higher velocities, explaining widespread chondrule formation beyond previous velocity limits.

Findings

Planetesimal velocities exceed 12 km/s near 3:1 resonance.

Chondrule formation is effective between 1.5 and 3.5 AU.

Many planetesimals are scattered beyond Neptune, carrying processed silicate dust.

Abstract

It is proposed that planetesimals perturbed by Jovian mean-motion resonances are the source of shock waves that form chondrules. It is considered that this shock-induced chondrule formation requires the velocity of the planetesimal relative to the gas disk to be on the order of > 7 km/s at 1 AU. In previous studies on planetesimal excitation, the effects of Jovian mean-motion resonance together with the gas drag were investigated, but the velocities obtained were at most 8 km/s in the asteroid belt, which is insufficient to account for the ubiquitous existence of chondrules. In this paper, we reexamine the effect of Jovian resonances and take into account the secular resonance in the asteroid belt caused by the gravity of the gas disk. We find that the velocities relative to the gas disk of planetesimals a few hundred kilometers in size exceed 12 km/s, and that this is achieved around the 3:1 mean-motion resonance. The heating region is restricted to a relatively narrow band between 1.5 AU and 3.5 AU. Our results suggest that chondrules were produced effectively in the asteroid region after Jovian formation. We also find that many planetesimals are scattered far beyond Neptune. Our findings can explain the presence of crystalline silicate in comets if the scattered planetesimals include silicate dust processed by shock heating.