Journal
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Volume 848, Issue 2, Pages -Publisher
IOP PUBLISHING LTD
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aa8cd0
Keywords
planets and satellites: atmospheres; planets and satellites: composition; planets and satellites: formation; planets and satellites: gaseous planets; protoplanetary disks
Categories
Funding
- Swiss National Foundation
- SNSF [200021_169054]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Mini-Neptunes seem to be common planets. In this work we investigate the possible formation histories and predicted occurrence rates of mini-Neptunes, assuming that the planets form beyond the iceline. We consider pebble and planetesimal accretion accounting for envelope enrichment and two different opacity conditions. We find that the formation of mini-Neptunes is a relatively frequent output when envelope enrichment by volatiles is included, and that there is a sweet spot for mini-Neptune formation with a relatively low solid accretion rate of similar to 10(-6) M-circle dot yr(-1). This rate is typical for low/intermediate-mass protoplanetary disks and/or disks with low metallicities. With pebble accretion, envelope enrichment and high opacity favor the formation of mini-Neptunes, with more efficient formation at large semimajor axes (similar to 30 au) and low disk viscosities. For planetesimal accretion, such planets can also form without enrichment, with the opacity being a key aspect in the growth history and favorable formation location. Finally, we show that the formation of Neptune-like planets remains a challenge for planet formation theories.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available