An impact-free mechanism to deliver water to terrestrial planets and exoplanets
Quentin Kral, Paul Huet, Camille Bergez-Casalou, Philippe Th\'ebault,, S\'ebastien Charnoz, Sonia Fornasier

TL;DR
This paper proposes a novel, impact-free mechanism for water delivery to terrestrial planets via sublimation of primordial icy asteroids forming a gaseous disk, explaining planetary water content and suggesting observable signatures in exoplanetary systems.
Contribution
It introduces a new model of water transfer through a sublimation-driven gaseous disk, challenging impact-based theories and applicable to both Solar and extrasolar planetary systems.
Findings
The mechanism can account for Earth's water content.
Most water delivery occurs between 20-30 Myr after Sun formation.
A substantial water-rich gaseous disk could be detectable in young exo-asteroid belts.
Abstract
To date, the most widespread scenario is that the Earth originated without water and was brought to the planet mainly due to impacts by wet asteroids coming from further out in space. However, many uncertainties remain regarding the exact processes that supply water to inner terrestrial planets. This article explores a new mechanism that would allow water to be efficiently transported to planets without impacts. We propose that primordial asteroids were icy and that when the ice sublimated, it formed a gaseous disk that could then reach planets and deliver water. We have developed a new model that follows the sublimation of asteroids and evolves the subsequent gas disk using a viscous diffusion code. We can then quantify the amount of water that can be accreted onto each planet in a self-consistent manner. We find that this new disk-delivery mechanism can explain the water content on…
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