On the local formation of the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets
Matthew S. Clement, Elisa V. Quintana, Kevin B. Stevenson

TL;DR
This study uses over 600 simulations to explore the formation of TRAPPIST-1 planets, suggesting their compositions and orbital arrangements are consistent with formation close to current locations rather than migration.
Contribution
It introduces detailed accretion simulations including collisional fragmentation and volatile evolution models to explain TRAPPIST-1's planetary properties.
Findings
Bulk iron content trend explains density variations.
Most planets end with similar volatile contents.
Higher-order resonances can form through tidal migration.
Abstract
The discovery of seven ~Earth-mass planets, orbiting the 0.09 solar mass M-Dwarf TRAPPIST-1 captivated the public and sparked a proliferation of investigations into the system's origins. Among other properties, the resonant architecture of the planets has been interpreted to imply that orbital migration played a dominant role in the system's early formation. If correct, this hypothesis could imply that all of the seven worlds formed far from the star, and might harbor enhanced inventories of volatile elements. However, multiple factors also contradict this interpretation. In particular, the planets' apparent rocky compositions and non-hierarchical mass distribution might evidence them having formed closer to their current orbital locations. In this paper, we investigate the latter possibility with over 600 accretion simulations that model the effects of collisional fragmentation. In…
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Taxonomy
TopicsStellar, planetary, and galactic studies · Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
