Learn how dust torque affects planet formation

The process of planetary formation is complex and involves various elements; One of the most disturbing is the phenomenon known as “dust torque”. Astronomy expert and member of Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Dr. Pablo Benítez conducted research that revealed how this happens. Dust in protoplanetary disks could change the way planets form.

According to the Diário de Osorno portal, protoplanetary disks are areas of gaseous and dusty material surrounding star formation, which are the starting point of planet formation. While the role of gas in orbiting planets has been analyzed, this study focuses on how solid particles or dust interfere with this phenomenon.

Dust torque and planet formation

To understand powder torque More deeply, the team measured torques caused by dust from a collapsing planet. This method is inspired by previous research that used hydrodynamic calculations to evaluate the impact of dust.

“The forces that the disk and dust have relative to the planetary body cause a repulsive force on it. This force has the capacity to take the developing planetary core to more distant regions,” says Benítez.

The research focused on type I migration, which affects smaller stars by interacting with the contents of the protoplanetary disk around them. The results show that the force of dust can exert positive pressure on celestial objects weighing less than 10 times the weight of the Earth, meaning that these objects may move further away or stop moving towards their stars rather than getting closer to them.

This discovery is important to us Understanding that smaller stars in our Solar System may be precursors to celestial giants such as Jupiter or Saturn.

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