Identifying the origin of Earth's building material: Where do the earth building Planetesimals and Pebbles originate from? A numerical approach of the accretion phase of the earth.

• Applicant: Professor Dr. H. Hubertus Klahr
• Subject Area: Palaeontology ; Astrophysics and Astronomy ; Geophysics
• Term: from 2015 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 276989061

The chemical composition of Earth is not only determined by the origin of its building material (see Phase 1 of this project), but also by the evolution of the pebbles, planetesimals and planetary embryos on their way to become part of Earth. Pebbles partially evaporate their volatile content at the ice lines and planetesimals may already differentiate, which has severe impact on the volatile content of planetesimals after collisions and during the final build up of earth. Based on our results from Phase 1, e.g. pebble flux and accretion, planetesimal formation and incorporation of the mix into planetary embryos using the TWO-POP-PY code and LIPAD we now want to focus on A: a better modelling of the fate of pebbles at the snow line and B: study the collisions as predicted in the LIPAD code with actual SPH simulations of colliding planetesimals and planetary embryos, to keep better track of their chemical constituents. In combination with the chemical/ mineralogical/ geological record of the Earth as we learn from our colleagues, we will link the Solar Nebula properties to the chemical cocktail that made Earth habitable.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1833: Building a Habitable Earth
• International Connection: Netherlands, USA
• Cooperation Partners: Dr. Katharina Kretke; Dr. Harold Levison; Professor Dr. Christiaan Wessel Ormel; Dr. Kevin Walsh