Gas giant planet interactions with protoplanetary discs
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leicester
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
Planets form out of protoplanetary discs. While young and massive, these discs are expected to fragment on gas clumps of a few Jupiter masses. The clumps may eventually evolve into gas giants, smaller planets or massive brown dwarfs. Which one of these outcomes is realised depends on the disc-planet interactions. In these interactions, the planet and the disc may exchange mass in both gas and grains, energy via radiation and
angular momentum via gravitational torques. These key processes have not yet been studied in detail and are the subject of this project. We shall begin the study by looking at pebble accretion onto precollapse gas clumps via both 3D discplanet numerical simulations and simplified 2D models. Next, zoom-in simulations onto the internal evolution of clumps will be employed to understand the outcome of pebble accretion in the planetary regime.
angular momentum via gravitational torques. These key processes have not yet been studied in detail and are the subject of this project. We shall begin the study by looking at pebble accretion onto precollapse gas clumps via both 3D discplanet numerical simulations and simplified 2D models. Next, zoom-in simulations onto the internal evolution of clumps will be employed to understand the outcome of pebble accretion in the planetary regime.
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST/N504117/1 | 01/10/2015 | 31/03/2021 | |||
| 1794975 | Studentship | ST/N504117/1 | 01/10/2016 | 31/03/2020 | Robert Humphries |
| Description | Collaboration with University of Edinburgh, University of Zurich and API in Amsterdam |
| Organisation | ETH Zurich |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Worked with Mariangela Bonavita, Allona Vazan and Ravit Helled to produce state-of-the-art populations synthesis models of gravitational instability planet formation in order to constrain its occurence rate. Pubished in Humphries et al 2019. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Allona and Ravit provided intensive 1D models of protoplanet contraction that made this project possible. Mariangella used her innovative QMESS code to statistically asses our fina population parameter space. |
| Impact | Humphries et al 2019 |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Collaboration with University of Edinburgh, University of Zurich and API in Amsterdam |
| Organisation | University of Amsterdam |
| Department | Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Worked with Mariangela Bonavita, Allona Vazan and Ravit Helled to produce state-of-the-art populations synthesis models of gravitational instability planet formation in order to constrain its occurence rate. Pubished in Humphries et al 2019. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Allona and Ravit provided intensive 1D models of protoplanet contraction that made this project possible. Mariangella used her innovative QMESS code to statistically asses our fina population parameter space. |
| Impact | Humphries et al 2019 |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Collaboration with University of Edinburgh, University of Zurich and API in Amsterdam |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Worked with Mariangela Bonavita, Allona Vazan and Ravit Helled to produce state-of-the-art populations synthesis models of gravitational instability planet formation in order to constrain its occurence rate. Pubished in Humphries et al 2019. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Allona and Ravit provided intensive 1D models of protoplanet contraction that made this project possible. Mariangella used her innovative QMESS code to statistically asses our fina population parameter space. |
| Impact | Humphries et al 2019 |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Protoplanet observation study |
| Organisation | Imperial College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I worked with researchers in Leicester and Imperial College London on a study to quantify the observability of long lived protoplanets with the ALMA telescope. |
| Collaborator Contribution | To Haworth helped to review the paper and made suggestions using his in depth knowledge of the ALMA telescope. |
| Impact | Humphries et al (in prep) |
| Start Year | 2019 |