Stimulated Radiative Molecular Association in the Early Solar System: Orbital Radii of Satellites of Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, and Saturn

TL;DR

This paper proposes a model linking satellite orbital radii in the outer solar system to photon energies in hydrogen spectra, explaining satellite formation via stimulated radiative molecular association in protosatellite disks.

Contribution

It introduces a novel model connecting satellite orbital radii to hydrogen spectral energies, explaining satellite and ring formation through SRMA reactions in early planetary disks.

Findings

Orbital radii relate to hydrogen photon energies.

Temperature distributions in disks match previous models.

Linear relationships observed among satellite orbital radii.

Abstract

The present investigation relates the orbital radii of regular satellites of Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, and Saturn to photon energies in the spectra of atomic and molecular hydrogen. To explain these observations a model is developed involving stimulated radiative molecular association (SRMA) reactions among the photons and atoms in the protosatellite disks of the planets. In this model thermal energy is extracted from each disk due to a resonance at radii where there is a match between the temperature in the disk and a photon energy. Matter accumulates at these radii, and satellites and rings are ultimately formed. Orbital radii of satellites of Uranus, Jupiter, and Neptune are related to photon energies ($E_{PM}$ values) in the spectrum of molecular hydrogen. Orbital radii of satellites of Saturn are related to photon energies ($E_{PA}$ values) in the spectrum of atomic hydrogen. The first hint that such relationships exist is found in the linearity of the graphs of orbital radii of uranian satellites vs. orbital radii of jovian satellites, as well as in the graphs of orbital radii of uranian satellites vs. orbital radii of neptunian satellites. An expression is determined which gives the temperature in protosatellite disks where the evolution of each satellite begins. This expression is used to find temperature distributions in the disks, which are found to be similar to distributions calculated by other investigators.