Rapid protoplanet formation in vortices: three-dimensional local simulations with selfgravity

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution 3D local simulations to demonstrate that disk vortices can rapidly form Mars-mass planetary embryos through pebble concentration and gravitational collapse, aligning with observations.

Contribution

It provides the first high-resolution 3D local model showing rapid formation of Mars-mass protoplanets in vortices, confirming previous low-resolution global model results.

Findings

Vortices produce Moon and Mars-mass objects.

Protoplanets double in mass in about 5 orbits.

Mass function follows a power law with index -1.6±0.3.

Abstract

Disk vortices, seen in numerical simulations of protoplanetary disks and found observationally in ALMA and VLA images of these objects, are promising sites for planet formation given their pebble trapping abilities. Previous works have shown strong concentration of pebbles in vortices, but gravitational collapse has only been shown in low-resolution, two-dimensional, global models. In this letter, we aim to study the pebble concentration and gravitational collapse of pebble clouds in vortices via high-resolution, three-dimensional, local models. We performed simulations of the dynamics of gas and solids in a local shearing box where the gas is subject to convective overstability, generating a persistent giant vortex. We find that the vortex produces objects of Moon and Mars mass, with mass function of power law $d\ln N/d\ln M=-1.6\pm 0.3$. The protoplanets grow rapidly, doubling in mass in about 5 orbits, following pebble accretion rates. The mass range and mass doubling rate are in broad agreement with previous low resolution global models. We conclude that Mars-mass planetary embryos are the natural outcome of planet formation inside the disk vortices seen in millimeter and radio images of protoplanetary disks.