Project Details
Projekt
Pebble accretion and the composition of exoplanets
Subject Area
Astrophysics and Astronomy
Term
from 2017 to 2022
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 362466861
Linking the observed compositions of exoplanets to their formation histories is one of the key goals of the SPP 1992 programme. In recent years a new paradigm, that profoundly affects this link between observation and formation has conquered the field of planet formation science: the "pebble accretion" scenario. In this scenario the growth of planetary embryos is not only driven by the accretion of multi-kilometer-size planetesimals, as believed for a long time. Instead, it is the efficient sweep-up of large amounts of pebble-sized dust/ice aggregates that controls the growth rates planetary embryos. These pebbles drift from the mass reservoirs in the outer regions of the protoplanetary disk into the planet forming regions in the inner disk. This way, they bring along the various chemical compounds that are embedded inside of them. The goal of this SPP project is to find out (1) which chemical compounds these pebbles transport to the planet forming regions and how they change along the way, and (2) which of these constituents survive the process of accretion onto the planetary embryos thus determining their chemical character. This will demonstrate the role of pebble accretion in controlling the final makeup of exoplanetary systems.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
Subproject of
SPP 1992:
Exploring the diversity of extrasolar planets
