Formation of Giant Planets– An Attempt in Matching Observational Constraints

We present models of giant planet formation, taking into account migration and disk viscous evolution. We show that migration can significantly reduce the formation timescale bringing it in good agreement with typical observed disk lifetimes. We then present a model that produces a planet whose current location, core mass and total mass are comparable with the one of Jupiter. For this model, we calculate the enrichments in volatiles and compare them with the one measured by the Galileo probe. We show that our models can reproduce both the measured atmosphere enrichments and the constraints derived by Guillot et al. (2004), if we assume the accretion of planetesimals with ices/rocks ratio equal to 4, and that a substantial amount of CO₂ was present in vapor phase in the solar nebula, in agreement with ISM measurements.     

The Geology of Mercury: The View Prior to the MESSENGER Mission

Mariner 10 and Earth-based observations have revealed Mercury, the innermost of the terrestrial planetary bodies, to be an exciting laboratory for the study of Solar System geological processes. Mercury is characterized by a lunar-like surface, a global magnetic field, and an interior dominated by an iron core having a radius at least three-quarters of the radius of the planet. The 45% of the surface imaged by Mariner 10 reveals some distinctive differences from the Moon, however, with major contractional fault scarps and huge expanses of moderate-albedo Cayley-like smooth plains of uncertain origin. Our current image coverage of Mercury is comparable to that of telescopic photographs of the Earth’s Moon prior to the launch of Sputnik in 1957. We have no photographic images of one-half of the surface, the resolution of the images we do have is generally poor (∼1 km), and as with many lunar telescopic photographs, much of the available surface of Mercury is distorted by foreshortening due to viewing geometry, or poorly suited for geological analysis and impact-crater counting for age determinations because of high-Sun illumination conditions. Currently available topographic information is also very limited. Nonetheless, Mercury is a geological laboratory that represents (1) a planet where the presence of a huge iron core may be due to impact stripping of the crust and upper mantle, or alternatively, where formation of a huge core may have resulted in a residual mantle and crust of potentially unusual composition and structure; (2) a planet with an internal chemical and mechanical structure that provides new insights into planetary thermal history and the relative roles of conduction and convection in planetary heat loss; (3) a one-tectonic-plate planet where constraints on major interior processes can be deduced from the geology of the global tectonic system; (4) a planet where volcanic resurfacing may not have played a significant role in planetary history and internally generated volcanic resurfacing may have ceased at ∼3.8 Ga; (5) a planet where impact craters can be used to disentangle the fundamental roles of gravity and mean impactor velocity in determining impact crater morphology and morphometry; (6) an environment where global impact crater counts can test fundamental concepts of the distribution of impactor populations in space and time; (7) an extreme environment in which highly radar-reflective polar deposits, much more extensive than those on the Moon, can be better understood; (8) an extreme environment in which the basic processes of space weathering can be further deduced; and (9) a potential end-member in terrestrial planetary body geological evolution in which the relationships of internal and surface evolution can be clearly assessed from both a tectonic and volcanic point of view. In the half-century since the launch of Sputnik, more than 30 spacecraft have been sent to the Moon, yet only now is a second spacecraft en route to Mercury. The MESSENGER mission will address key questions about the geologic evolution of Mercury; the depth and breadth of the MESSENGER data will permit the confident reconstruction of the geological history and thermal evolution of Mercury using new imaging, topography, chemistry, mineralogy, gravity, magnetic, and environmental data.     

Feedstocks of the Terrestrial Planets

The processes of planet formation in our Solar System resulted in a final product of a small number of discreet planets and planetesimals characterized by clear compositional distinctions. A key advance on this subject was provided when nucleosynthetic isotopic variability was discovered between different meteorite groups and the terrestrial planets. This information has now been coupled with theoretical models of planetesimal growth and giant planet migration to better understand the nature of the materials accumulated into the terrestrial planets. First order conclusions include that carbonaceous chondrites appear to contribute a much smaller mass fraction to the terrestrial planets than previously suspected, that gas-driven giant planet migration could have pushed volatile-rich material into the inner Solar System, and that planetesimal formation was occurring on a sufficiently rapid time scale that global melting of asteroid-sized objects was instigated by radioactive decay of ²⁶Al. The isotopic evidence highlights the important role of enstatite chondrites, or something with their mix of nucleosynthetic components, as feedstock for the terrestrial planets. A common degree of depletion of moderately volatile elements in the terrestrial planets points to a mechanism that can effectively separate volatile and refractory elements over a spatial scale the size of the whole inner Solar System. The large variability in iron to silicon ratios between both different meteorite groups and between the terrestrial planets suggests that mechanisms that can segregate iron metal from silicate should be given greater importance in future investigations. Such processes likely include both density separation of small grains in the nebula, but also preferential impact erosion of either the mantle or core from differentiated planets/planetesimals. The latter highlights the important role for giant impacts and collisional erosion during the late stages of planet formation.     

Surface-Exosphere-Magnetosphere System Of Mercury

Mercury is a poorly known planet, since the only space-based information comes from the three fly-bys performed in 1974 by the Mariner 10 spacecraft. Ground-based observations also provided some interesting results, but they are particularly difficult to obtain due to the planet’s proximity to the Sun. Nevertheless, the fact that the planet’s orbit is so close to the Sun makes Mercury a particularly interesting subject for extreme environmental conditions. Among a number of crucial scientific topics to be addressed, Mercury’s exosphere, its interaction with the solar wind and its origin from the surface of the planet, can provide important clues about planetary evolution. In fact, the Hermean exosphere is continuously eroded and refilled by these interactions, so that it would be more proper to consider the Hermean environment as a single, unified system – surface-exosphere-magnetosphere. These three parts are indeed strongly linked to each other. In recent years, the two missions scheduled to explore the iron planet, the NASA MESSENGER mission (launched in March 2004) and the ESA cornerstone mission (jointly with JAXA) BepiColombo (to be launched in 2012), have stimulated new interest in the many unresolved mysteries related to it. New ground-based observations, made possible by new technologies, have been obtained, and new simulation studies have been performed. In this paper some old as well as the very latest observations and studies related to the surface-exosphere-magnetosphere system are reviewed, outlining the investigations achievable by the planned space-based observations. This review intends to support the studies, in preparation of future data, and the definition of specific instrumentation.     

Disks, Extrasolar Planets and Migration

We review results about protoplanetary disk models, protoplanet migration and formation of giant planets with migrating cores. We first model the protoplanetary nebula as an α–accretion disk and present steady state calculations for different values of α and gas accretion rate through the disk. We then review the current theories of protoplanet migration in the context of these models, focusing on the gaseous disk–protoplanet tidal interaction. According to these theories, the migration timescale may be shorter than the planetary formation timescale. Therefore we investigate planet formation in the context of a migrating core, considering both the growth of the core and the build–up of the envelope in the course of the migration. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Mercury’s Interior Structure, Rotation, and Tides

This review addresses the deep interior structure of Mercury. Mercury is thought to consist of similar chemical reservoirs (core, mantle, crust) as the other terrestrial planets, but with a relatively much larger core. Constraints on Mercury’s composition and internal structure are reviewed, and possible interior models are described. Large advances in our knowledge of Mercury’s interior are not only expected from imaging of characteristic surface features but particularly from geodetic observations of the gravity field, the rotation, and the tides of Mercury. The low-degree gravity field of Mercury gives information on the differences of the principal moments of inertia, which are a measure of the mass concentration toward the center of the planet. Mercury’s unique rotation presents several clues to the deep interior. From observations of the mean obliquity of Mercury and the low-degree gravity data, the moments of inertia can be obtained, and deviations from the mean rotation speed (librations) offer an exciting possibility to determine the moment of inertia of the mantle. Due to its proximity to the Sun, Mercury has the largest tides of the Solar System planets. Since tides are sensitive to the existence and location of liquid layers, tidal observations are ideally suited to study the physical state and size of the core of Mercury.     

The Delivery of Water During Terrestrial Planet Formation

The planetary building blocks that formed in the terrestrial planet region were likely very dry, yet water is comparatively abundant on Earth. Here we review the various mechanisms proposed for the origin of water on the terrestrial planets. Various in-situ mechanisms have been suggested, which allow for the incorporation of water into the local planetesimals in the terrestrial planet region or into the planets themselves from local sources, although all of those mechanisms have difficulties. Comets have also been proposed as a source, although there may be problems fitting isotopic constraints, and the delivery efficiency is very low, such that it may be difficult to deliver even a single Earth ocean of water this way. The most promising route for water delivery is the accretion of material from beyond the snow line, similar to carbonaceous chondrites, that is scattered into the terrestrial planet region as the planets are growing. Two main scenarios are discussed in detail. First is the classical scenario in which the giant planets begin roughly in their final locations and the disk of planetesimals and embryos in the terrestrial planet region extends all the way into the outer asteroid belt region. Second is the Grand Tack scenario, where early inward and outward migration of the giant planets implants material from beyond the snow line into the asteroid belt and terrestrial planet region, where it can be accreted by the growing planets. Sufficient water is delivered to the terrestrial planets in both scenarios. While the Grand Tack scenario provides a better fit to most constraints, namely the small mass of Mars, planets may form too fast in the nominal case discussed here. This discrepancy may be reduced as a wider range of initial conditions is explored. Finally, we discuss several more recent models that may have important implications for water delivery to the terrestrial planets.     

An Oxygen Isotope Mixing Model for the Accretion and Composition of Rocky Planets

The oxygen isotope systematics in planetary and nebular matter are used to constrain the types of nebular material accreted to form a planet. The basic assumption of this model is that the mean oxygen isotopic composition of a planet is determined by the weighted mean oxygen isotopic composition of nebular matter accreted by the planet. Chondrites are taken as representatives of nebular matter. The chemical composition (which determines core size, mantle oxidation state, density, moment of inertia) of a planet results from the weighted mean compositions of the accreted nebular material, once the mass fractions of the different types of accreting matter are known. Here some results for Earth, Moon, Mars, and Vesta are discussed. The model implies that loss of volatile elements, such as alkalis and halogens, occurs during accretion and early planetary differentiation (e. g., by catastrophic impacts). The possible depletion mechanisms of moderately volatile elements are discussed. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Structure of the Chromosphere Properties Pertaining to Element Fractionation

We review the structure and dynamics of the solar chromosphere with emphasis on the quiet Sun and properties that are relevant to element fractionation mechanisms. Attention is given to the chromospheric magnetic field, its connections to the photosphere, and to the dynamical evolution of the chromosphere. While some profound advances have been made in the “unmagnetized” chromosphere, our knowledge of the magnetically controlled chromosphere, more relevant for the discussion of element fractionation, is limited. Given the dynamic nature of the chromosphere and the poorly understood magnetic linkage to the corona, it is unlikely that we will soon know the detailed processes leading to FIP fractionation. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Giant Planet Ionospheres and Thermospheres: The Importance of Ion-Neutral Coupling

Planetary upper atmospheres-coexisting thermospheres and ionospheres-form an important boundary between the planet itself and interplanetary space. The solar wind and radiation from the Sun may react with the upper atmosphere directly, as in the case of Venus. If the planet has a magnetic field, however, such interactions are mediated by the magnetosphere, as in the case of the Earth. All of the Solar System’s giant planets have magnetic fields of various strengths, and interactions with their space environments are thus mediated by their respective magnetospheres. This article concentrates on the consequences of magnetosphere-atmosphere interactions for the physical conditions of the thermosphere and ionosphere. In particular, we wish to highlight important new considerations concerning the energy balance in the upper atmosphere of Jupiter and Saturn, and the role that coupling between the ionosphere and thermosphere may play in establishing and regulating energy flows and temperatures there. This article also compares the auroral activity of Earth, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. The Earth’s behaviour is controlled, externally, by the solar wind. But Jupiter’s is determined by the co-rotation or otherwise of the equatorial plasmasheet, which is internal to the planet’s magnetosphere. Despite being rapid rotators, like Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus appear to have auroral emissions that are mainly under solar (wind) control. For Jupiter and Saturn, it is shown that Joule heating and “frictional” effects, due to ion-neutral coupling can produce large amounts of energy that may account for their high exospheric temperatures.     

Irregular Satellites in the Context of Planet Formation

All four giant planets in the solar system possess irregular satellites, characterized by large, highly eccentric and/or highly inclined orbits. These bodies were likely captured from heliocentric orbit, probably in association with planet formation itself. Enabled by the use of large-format digital imagers on ground-based telescopes, new observational work has dramatically increased the known populations of irregular satellites, with 74 discoveries in the last few years. A new perspective on the irregular satellite systems is beginning to emerge.We find that the number of irregular satellites measured to a given diameter is approximately constant from planet to planet. This is surprising, given the radically different formation scenarios envisioned for the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn compared to the (much less massive and compositionally distinct) ice giants Uranus and Neptune. We discuss the new results on the irregular satellites and show how these objects might be used to discriminate amongst models of giant planet formation.     

Atmospheric Escape and Evolution of Terrestrial Planets and Satellites

The origin and evolution of Venus’, Earth’s, Mars’ and Titan’s atmospheres are discussed from the time when the active young Sun arrived at the Zero-Age-Main-Sequence. We show that the high EUV flux of the young Sun, depending on the thermospheric composition, the amount of IR-coolers and the mass and size of the planet, could have been responsible that hydrostatic equilibrium was not always maintained and hydrodynamic flow and expansion of the upper atmosphere resulting in adiabatic cooling of the exobase temperature could develop. Furthermore, thermal and various nonthermal atmospheric escape processes influenced the evolution and isotope fractionation of the atmospheres and water inventories of the terrestrial planets and Saturn’s large satellite Titan efficiently.     

The evolution of moderately close and moderately wide binaries

We discuss evolutionary processes in binaries where the primary becomes a red giant with a deep convective envelope before it fills its Roche lobe. Such binaries (late Case B or late Case C, if they evolve conservatively) ought to suffer drastic mass transfer, on a hydrodynamic timescale. In some circumstances this may lead to a common envelope, spiral-in, and finally either a very short-period binary or coalescence. But there appear to be other circumstances in which the outcome is an ordinary Algol, or a wide binary with a white dwarf companion as in Barium stars and some symbiotics. We try to demonstrate that stellar-wind mass loss, enhanced one or two orders of magnitude by tidal interaction with a companion, can vitally affect the approach to RLOF, and indeed may prevent RLOF in binaries with periods over 1000 d. Such mass loss is probably accompanied by angular momentum loss, by magnetic braking combined with tidal friction. The result is that it will not be easy to predict definitively the outcome of evolution in a given zero-age binary.     

Atmosphere Impact Losses

Determining the origin of volatiles on terrestrial planets and quantifying atmospheric loss during planet formation is crucial for understanding the history and evolution of planetary atmospheres. Using geochemical observations of noble gases and major volatiles we determine what the present day inventory of volatiles tells us about the sources, the accretion process and the early differentiation of the Earth. We further quantify the key volatile loss mechanisms and the atmospheric loss history during Earth’s formation. Volatiles were accreted throughout the Earth’s formation, but Earth’s early accretion history was volatile poor. Although nebular Ne and possible H in the deep mantle might be a fingerprint of this early accretion, most of the mantle does not remember this signature implying that volatile loss occurred during accretion. Present day geochemistry of volatiles shows no evidence of hydrodynamic escape as the isotopic compositions of most volatiles are chondritic. This suggests that atmospheric loss generated by impacts played a major role during Earth’s formation. While many of the volatiles have chondritic isotopic ratios, their relative abundances are certainly not chondritic again suggesting volatile loss tied to impacts. Geochemical evidence of atmospheric loss comes from the \({}^{3}\mathrm{He}/{}^{22}\mathrm{Ne}\), halogen ratios (e.g., F/Cl) and low H/N ratios. In addition, the geochemical ratios indicate that most of the water could have been delivered prior to the Moon forming impact and that the Moon forming impact did not drive off the ocean. Given the importance of impacts in determining the volatile budget of the Earth we examine the contributions to atmospheric loss from both small and large impacts. We find that atmospheric mass loss due to impacts can be characterized into three different regimes: 1) Giant Impacts, that create a strong shock transversing the whole planet and that can lead to atmospheric loss globally. 2) Large enough impactors (\(m_{\mathit{cap}} \gtrsim \sqrt{2} \rho_{0} (\pi h R)^{3/2}\), \(r_{\mathit{cap}}\sim25~\mbox{km}\) for the current Earth), that are able to eject all the atmosphere above the tangent plane of the impact site, where \(h\), \(R\) and \(\rho_{0}\) are the atmospheric scale height, radius of the target, and its atmospheric density at the ground. 3) Small impactors (\(m_{\mathit{min}}>4 \pi\rho_{0} h^{3}\), \(r_{\mathit {min}}\sim 1~\mbox{km}\) for the current Earth), that are only able to eject a fraction of the atmospheric mass above the tangent plane. We demonstrate that per unit impactor mass, small impactors with \(r_{\mathit{min}} < r < r_{\mathit{cap}}\) are the most efficient impactors in eroding the atmosphere. In fact for the current atmospheric mass of the Earth, they are more than five orders of magnitude more efficient (per unit impactor mass) than giant impacts, implying that atmospheric mass loss must have been common. The enormous atmospheric mass loss efficiency of small impactors is due to the fact that most of their impact energy and momentum is directly available for local mass loss, where as in the giant impact regime a lot of energy and momentum is ’wasted’ by having to create a strong shock that can transverse the entirety of the planet such that global atmospheric loss can be achieved. In the absence of any volatile delivery and outgassing, we show that the population of late impactors inferred from the lunar cratering record containing 0.1% \(M_{\oplus }\) is able to erode the entire current Earth’s atmosphere implying that an interplay of erosion, outgassing and volatile delivery is likely responsible for determining the atmospheric mass and composition of the early Earth. Combining geochemical observations with impact models suggest an interesting synergy between small and big impacts, where giant impacts create large magma oceans and small and larger impacts drive the atmospheric loss.     

Water Partitioning in Planetary Embryos and Protoplanets with Magma Oceans

The water content of magma oceans is widely accepted as a key factor that determines whether a terrestrial planet is habitable. Water ocean mass is determined as a result not only of water delivery and loss, but also of water partitioning among several reservoirs. Here we review our current understanding of water partitioning among the atmosphere, magma ocean, and solid mantle of accreting planetary embryos and protoplanets just after giant collisions. Magma oceans are readily formed in planetary embryos and protoplanets in their accretion phase. Significant amounts of water are partitioned into magma oceans, provided the planetary building blocks are water-rich enough. Particularly important but still quite uncertain issues are how much water the planetary building blocks contain initially and how water goes out of the solidifying mantle and is finally degassed to the atmosphere. Constraints from both solar-system explorations and exoplanet observations and also from laboratory experiments are needed to resolve these issues.     

Outgassing History and Escape of the Martian Atmosphere and Water Inventory

The evolution and escape of the martian atmosphere and the planet’s water inventory can be separated into an early and late evolutionary epoch. The first epoch started from the planet’s origin and lasted ～500 Myr. Because of the high EUV flux of the young Sun and Mars’ low gravity it was accompanied by hydrodynamic blow-off of hydrogen and strong thermal escape rates of dragged heavier species such as O and C atoms. After the main part of the protoatmosphere was lost, impact-related volatiles and mantle outgassing may have resulted in accumulation of a secondary CO₂ atmosphere of a few tens to a few hundred mbar around ～4–4.3 Gyr ago. The evolution of the atmospheric surface pressure and water inventory of such a secondary atmosphere during the second epoch which lasted from the end of the Noachian until today was most likely determined by a complex interplay of various nonthermal atmospheric escape processes, impacts, carbonate precipitation, and serpentinization during the Hesperian and Amazonian epochs which led to the present day surface pressure.     

Solar Isotopic Composition as Determined Using Solar Energetic Particles

Solar energetic particles (SEPs) provide a sample of the Sun from which solar composition may be determined. Using high-resolution measurements from the Solar Isotope Spectrometer (SIS) onboard NASA’s Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft, we have studied the isotopic composition of SEPs at energies ≥20 MeV/nucleon in large SEP events. We present SEP isotope measurements of C, O, Ne, Mg, Si, S, Ar, Ca, Fe, and Ni made in 49 large events from late 1997 to the present. The isotopic composition is highly variable from one SEP event to another due to variations in seed particle composition or due to mass fractionation that occurs during the acceleration and/or transport of these particles. We show that various isotopic and elemental enhancements are correlated with each other, discuss the empirical corrections used to account for the compositional variability, and obtain estimated solar isotopic abundances. We compare the solar values and their uncertainties inferred from SEPs with solar wind and other solar system abundances and find generally good agreement.     

Giant Planet Formation and Migration

Planets form in circumstellar discs around young stars. Starting with sub-micron sized dust particles, giant planet formation is all about growing 14 orders of magnitude in size. It has become increasingly clear over the past decades that during all stages of giant planet formation, the building blocks are extremely mobile and can change their semimajor axis by substantial amounts. In this chapter, we aim to give a basic overview of the physical processes thought to govern giant planet formation and migration, and to highlight possible links to water delivery.     

Hermean Magnetosphere-Solar Wind Interaction

The small intrinsic magnetic field of Mercury together with its proximity to the Sun makes the Hermean magnetosphere unique in the context of comparative magnetosphere study. The basic framework of the Hermean magnetosphere is believed to be the same as that of Earth. However, there exist various differences which cause new and exciting effects not present at Earth to appear. These new effects may force a substantial correction of our naïve predictions concerning the magnetosphere of Mercury. Here, we outline the predictions based on our experience at Earth and what effects can drastically change this picture. The basic structure of the magnetosphere is likely to be understood by scaling the Earth’s case but its dynamic aspect is likely modified significantly by the smallness of the Hermean magnetosphere and the substantial presence of heavy ions coming from the planet’s surface.     

Origin, Internal Structure and Evolution of 4 Vesta

Asteroid 4 Vesta is the only preserved intact example of a large, differentiated protoplanet like those believed to be the building blocks of terrestrial planet accretion. Vesta accreted rapidly from the solar nebula in the inner asteroid belt and likely melted due to heat released due to the decay of ²⁶Al. Analyses of meteorites from the howardite-eucrite-diogenite (HED) suite, which have been both spectroscopically and dynamically linked to Vesta, lead to a model of the asteroid with a basaltic crust that overlies a depleted peridotitic mantle and an iron core. Vesta??s crust may become more mafic with depth and might have been intruded by plutons arising from mantle melting. Constraints on the asteroid??s moments of inertia from the long-wavelength gravity field, pole position and rotation, informed by bulk composition estimates, allow tradeoffs between mantle density and core size; cores of up to half the planetary radius can be consistent with plausible mantle compositions. The asteroid??s present surface is expected to consist of widespread volcanic terrain, modified extensively by impacts that exposed the underlying crust or possibly the mantle. Hemispheric heterogeneity has been observed by poorly resolved imaging of the surface that suggests the possibility of a physiographic dichotomy as occurs on other terrestrial planets. Vesta might have had an early magma ocean but details of the early thermal structure are far from clear owing to model uncertainties and paradoxical observations from the HEDs. Petrological analysis of the eucrites coupled with thermal evolution modeling recognizes two possible mechanisms of silicate-metal differentiation leading to the formation of the basaltic achondrites: equilibrium partial melting or crystallization of residual liquid from the cooling magma ocean. A firmer understanding the plethora of complex physical and chemical processes that contribute to melting and crystallization will ultimately be required to distinguish among these possibilities. The most prominent physiographic feature on Vesta is the massive south polar basin, whose formation likely re-oriented the body axis of the asteroid??s rotation. The large impact represents the likely major mechanism of ejection of fragments that became the HEDs. Observations from the Dawn mission hold the promise of revolutionizing our understanding of 4 Vesta, and by extension, the nature of collisional, melting and differentiation processes in the nascent solar system.