Planet Formation: An Optimized Population-Synthesis Approach

The physics of planet formation is investigated using a population synthesis approach. We develop a simple model for planetary growth including pebble and gas accretion, and orbital migration in an evolving protoplanetary disk. The model is run for a population of 2000 stars with a range of disk masses and radii, and initial protoplanet orbits. The resulting planetary distribution is compared with the observed population of extrasolar planets, and the model parameters are improved iteratively using a particle swarm optimization scheme. The characteristics of the final planetary systems are mainly controlled by the pebble isolation mass, which is the mass of a planet that perturbs nearby gas enough to halt the inward flux of drifting pebbles and stop growth. The pebble isolation mass increases with orbital distance so that giant planet cores can only form in the outer disk. Giants migrate inwards, populating a wide range of final orbital distances. The best model fits have large initial protoplanet masses, short pebble drift timescales, low disk viscosities, and short atmospheric cooling times, all of which promote rapid growth. The model successfully reproduces the observed frequency and distribution of giant planets and brown dwarfs. The fit for super Earths is poorer for single-planet systems, but improves steadily when more protoplanets are included. Although the study was designed to match the extrasolar planet distribution, analogs of the Solar System form in 1-2% of systems that contain at least 4 protoplanets.