Simulations of unstable gaseous disks and the origin of giant planets

TL;DR

This paper uses high-resolution 3D simulations to demonstrate that gravitationally unstable protoplanetary disks can naturally form giant planets with properties similar to observed exoplanets, shedding light on their origin.

Contribution

It presents detailed 3D SPH simulations showing giant planet formation in unstable disks with a locally isothermal equation of state, a novel approach in the field.

Findings

Giant protoplanets can form in disks with initial Q near 1.4.

Simulations produce systems with masses and orbits similar to observed exoplanets.

Long-term evolution supports natural formation of giant planets in unstable disks.

Abstract

We study the evolution of cold, gravitationally unstable protoplanetary gaseous disks performing 3D SPH simulations with up to a million particles on large parallel machines. We show that self-gravitating protoplanets can form in disks with initial $Q_{min} \sim 1.4$ provided that disks are evolved with a locally isothermal equation of state until localized regions reach a sufficiently high density. Lower resolution simulations carried out for as long as a thousand years show that systems of giant protoplanets with masses and orbits comparable to those of the observed extrasolar planets arise naturally.