Formation and evolution of a protoplanetary disk: combining observations, simulations and cosmochemical constraints

TL;DR

This paper synthesizes observations, simulations, and cosmochemical data to present a coherent model of the formation and evolution of the protosolar disk, explaining high-temperature condensate transport, isotopic anomalies, and planetesimal formation timing.

Contribution

It offers a comprehensive, integrated model of protoplanetary disk evolution that aligns with diverse observational and cosmochemical constraints, highlighting the disk's typical characteristics.

Findings

High-temperature condensates formed near the protosun and were transported outward.

The disk's evolution involved inward dust drift and pressure maxima trapping dust for planetesimal formation.

The solar disk's size, lifetime, and dust behavior are typical compared to other protoplanetary disks.

Abstract

We present a plausible and coherent view of the evolution of the protosolar disk that is consistent with the cosmochemical constraints and compatible with observations of other protoplanetary disks and sophisticated numerical simulations. The evidence that high-temperature condensates, CAIs and AOAs, formed near the protosun before being transported to the outer disk can be explained by either an early phase of vigorous radial spreading of the disk, or fast transport of these condensates from the vicinity of the protosun towards large disk radii via the protostellar outflow. The assumption that the material accreted towards the end of the infall phase was isotopically distinct allows us to explain the observed dichotomy in nucleosynthetic isotopic anomalies of meteorites and leads to intriguing predictions on the isotopic composition of refractory elements in comets. When the infall of material waned, the disk started to evolve as an accretion disk. Initially, dust drifted inwards, shrinking the radius of the dust component to ~ 45 au, probably about 1/2 of the width of the gas component. Then structures must have emerged, producing a series of pressure maxima in the disk which trapped the dust on My timescales. This allowed planetesimals to form at radically distinct times without changing significantly of isotopic properties. There was no late accretion of material onto the disk via streamers. The disk disappeared in ~5 Myr, as indicated by paleomagnetic data in meteorites. In conclusion, the evolution of the protosolar disk seems to have been quite typical in terms of size, lifetime, and dust behavior, suggesting that the peculiarities of the Solar system with respect to extrasolar planetary system probably originate from the chaotic nature of planet formation and not at the level of the parental disk.