Growth and evolution of satellites in a Jovian massive disc

TL;DR

This study uses N-body simulations to explore how Jovian satellite systems form and evolve within a massive circum-planetary disc, revealing the influence of initial conditions and disc properties on satellite formation and resonance configurations.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of satellite formation mechanisms in a massive disc, highlighting the roles of initial embryo distribution and disc temperature, and challenges assumptions about gap formation and type II migration.

Findings

Multiple satellites can form in resonance with steep density profiles.

Formation of massive satellites like Ganymede is possible in hotter discs.

Disc properties significantly influence satellite system architecture.

Abstract

The formation of satellite systems in circum-planetary discs is considered to be similar to the formation of rocky planets in a proto-planetary disc, especially Super-Earths. Thus, it is possible to use systems with large satellites to test formation theories that are also applicable to extrasolar planets. Furthermore, a better understanding of the origin of satellites might yield important information about the environment near the growing planet during the last stages of planet formation. In this work we investigate the formation and migration of the Jovian satellites through N-body simulations. We simulated a massive, static, low viscosity, circum-planetary disc in agreement with the minimum mass sub-nebula model prescriptions for its total mass. In hydrodynamic simulations we found no signs of gaps, therefore type II migration is not expected. Hence, we used analytic prescriptions for type I migration, eccentricity and inclination damping, and performed N-body simulations with damping forces added. Detailed parameter studies showed that the number of final satellites is strong influenced by the initial distribution of embryos, the disc temperature, and the initial gas density profile. For steeper initial density profiles it is possible to form systems with multiple satellites in resonance while a flatter profile favours the formation of satellites close to the region of the Galilean satellites. We show that the formation of massive satellites such as Ganymede and Callisto can be achieved for hotter discs with an aspect ratio of H/r ~ 0.15 for which the ice line was located around 30 R_J.