Collision parameters governing water delivery and water loss in early planetary systems

Author(s)
Thomas I. Maindl, Rudolf Dvorak
Abstract

We investigate the distribution of encounter velocities and impact angles describing collisions in the habitable zone of the early planetary system. Here we present a catalogue of collision characteristics for a particular mass ratio of the colliding bodies and seven different planetesimal masses ranging from a tenth of Ceres' mass to 10 times the mass of the Moon. We show that there are virtually no collisions with impact speeds lower than the surface escape velocity and a similar velocity-impact angle distribution for different planetesimal masses if velocities are normalized using the escape velocity. An additional perturbing Jupiter-like object distorts the collision velocity and impact picture in the sense that grazing impacts at higher velocities are promoted if the perturber's orbit is close to the habitable zone whereas a more distant perturber has more the effect of a mere widening of the velocity dispersion.

Organisation(s)
Department of Astrophysics
Journal
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Volume
8
Pages
370-373
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743921313008971
Publication date
07-2013
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103003 Astronomy
Keywords
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/0499a468-fdbc-4a8e-bf00-0478c1b2241e