Planetesimal formation starts at the snow line

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the water snow line in protoplanetary disks influences the formation of planetesimals, highlighting the roles of ice evaporation, water vapor diffusion, and changes in dust sticking properties.

Contribution

It presents a comprehensive one-dimensional model connecting disk evolution, dust growth, water chemistry, and planetesimal formation, emphasizing the snow line's critical role.

Findings

Planetesimal formation is facilitated outside the snow line due to water vapor recondensation.

A 'traffic jam' of solids occurs inside the snow line, affecting material infall.

Formation is more likely in large, cool, low-turbulence disks with high initial dust-to-gas ratios.

Abstract

Planetesimal formation stage represents a major gap in our understanding of the planet formation process. The late-stage planet accretion models typically make arbitrary assumptions about planetesimals and pebbles distribution while the dust evolution models predict that planetesimal formation is only possible at some orbital distances. We want to test the importance of water snow line for triggering formation of the first planetesimals during the gas-rich phase of protoplanetary disk, when cores of giant planets have to form. We connect prescriptions for gas disk evolution, dust growth and fragmentation, water ice evaporation and recondensation, as well as transport of both solids and water vapor, and planetesimal formation via streaming instability into a single, one-dimensional model for protoplanetary disk evolution. We find that processes taking place around the snow line facilitate planetesimal formation in two ways. First, due to the change of sticking properties between wet and dry aggregates, there is a "traffic jam" inside of the snow line that slows down the fall of solids onto the star. Second, ice evaporation and outward diffusion of water followed by its recondensation increases the abundance of icy pebbles that trigger planetesimal formation via streaming instability just outside of the snow line. Planetesimal formation is hindered by growth barriers and radial drift and thus requires particular conditions to take place. Snow line is a favorable location where planetesimal formation is possible for a wide range of conditions, but still not in every protoplanetary disk model. This process is particularly promoted in large, cool disks with low intrinsic turbulence and increased initial dust-to-gas ratio.