Sandwiched planet formation: restricting the mass of a middle planet

TL;DR

This paper uses hydrodynamical simulations to show how a second outer planet can limit the growth of an inner planet, potentially leading to a 'sandwiched' smaller planet between two larger ones, challenging typical planet formation trends.

Contribution

It introduces a new model explaining the formation of smaller middle planets between larger neighbors due to pressure profile effects in protoplanetary discs.

Findings

Outer planets influence inner planet's material accumulation.

Sandwiched smaller planets can form between larger planets.

Observed planetary systems support the model.

Abstract

We conduct gas and dust hydrodynamical simulations of protoplanetary discs with one and two embedded planets to determine the impact that a second planet located further out in the disc has on the potential for subsequent planet formation in the region locally exterior to the inner planet. We show how the presence of a second planet has a strong influence on the collection of solid material near the inner planet, particularly when the outer planet is massive enough to generate a maximum in the disc's pressure profile. This effect in general acts to reduce the amount of material that can collect in a pressure bump generated by the inner planet. When viewing the inner pressure bump as a location for potential subsequent planet formation of a third planet, we therefore expect that the mass of such a planet will be smaller than it would be in the case without the outer planet, resulting in a small planet being sandwiched between its neighbours - this is in contrast to the expected trend of increasing planet mass with radial distance from the host star. We show that several planetary systems have been observed that do not show this trend but instead have a smaller planet sandwiched in between two more massive planets. We present the idea that such an architecture could be the result of the subsequent formation of a middle planet after its two neighbours formed at some earlier stage.