TY - JOUR

T1 - Pebble drift and planetesimal formation in protoplanetary discs with embedded planets

AU - Eriksson, Linn E. J.

AU - Johansen, Anders

AU - Liu, Beibei

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © ESO 2020.

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - Nearly axisymmetric gaps and rings are commonly observed in protoplanetary discs. The leading theory regarding the origin of these patterns is that they are due to dust trapping at the edges of gas gaps induced by the gravitational torques from embedded planets. If the concentration of solids at the gap edges becomes high enough, it could potentially result in planetesimal formation by the streaming instability. We tested this hypothesis by performing global 1D simulations of dust evolution and planetesimal formation in a protoplanetary disc that is perturbed by multiple planets. We explore different combinations of particle sizes, disc parameters, and planetary masses, and we find that planetesimals form in all of these cases. We also compare the spatial distribution of pebbles from our simulations with protoplanetary disc observations. Planets larger than one pebble isolation mass catch drifting pebbles efficiently at the edge of their gas gaps, and depending on the efficiency of planetesimal formation at the gap edges, the protoplanetary disc transforms within a few 100 000 yr to either a transition disc with a large inner hole devoid of dust or to a disc with narrow bright rings. For simulations with planetary masses lower than the pebble isolation mass, the outcome is a disc with a series of weak ring patterns but there is no strong depletion between the rings. By lowering the pebble size artificially to a 100 micrometer-sized "silt", we find that regions between planets get depleted of their pebble mass on a longer time-scale of up to 0.5 million years. These simulations also produce fewer planetesimals than in the nominal model with millimeter-sized particles and always have at least two rings of pebbles that are still visible after 1 Myr.

AB - Nearly axisymmetric gaps and rings are commonly observed in protoplanetary discs. The leading theory regarding the origin of these patterns is that they are due to dust trapping at the edges of gas gaps induced by the gravitational torques from embedded planets. If the concentration of solids at the gap edges becomes high enough, it could potentially result in planetesimal formation by the streaming instability. We tested this hypothesis by performing global 1D simulations of dust evolution and planetesimal formation in a protoplanetary disc that is perturbed by multiple planets. We explore different combinations of particle sizes, disc parameters, and planetary masses, and we find that planetesimals form in all of these cases. We also compare the spatial distribution of pebbles from our simulations with protoplanetary disc observations. Planets larger than one pebble isolation mass catch drifting pebbles efficiently at the edge of their gas gaps, and depending on the efficiency of planetesimal formation at the gap edges, the protoplanetary disc transforms within a few 100 000 yr to either a transition disc with a large inner hole devoid of dust or to a disc with narrow bright rings. For simulations with planetary masses lower than the pebble isolation mass, the outcome is a disc with a series of weak ring patterns but there is no strong depletion between the rings. By lowering the pebble size artificially to a 100 micrometer-sized "silt", we find that regions between planets get depleted of their pebble mass on a longer time-scale of up to 0.5 million years. These simulations also produce fewer planetesimals than in the nominal model with millimeter-sized particles and always have at least two rings of pebbles that are still visible after 1 Myr.

KW - formation

KW - Planet-disk interactions

KW - Planets and satellites

KW - Protoplanetary disks

U2 - 10.1051/0004-6361/201937037

DO - 10.1051/0004-6361/201937037

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85088119094

VL - 635

JO - Astronomy & Astrophysics

JF - Astronomy & Astrophysics

SN - 0004-6361

M1 - A110

ER -