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Planet formation theory: an overview

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arxiv 2412.11064 v2 pith:6SACF6PH submitted 2024-12-15 astro-ph.EP

Planet formation theory: an overview

classification astro-ph.EP
keywords formationplanetdiskgrowthoverviewsystemunderstandingaccretion
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal T4 reserved
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The standard model for planet formation is a bottom-up process in which the origin of rocky and gaseous planets can be traced back to the collision of micron-sized dust grains within the gas-rich environment of protoplanetary disks. Key milestones along the way include disk formation, grain growth, planetesimal formation, core growth, gas accretion, and planetary system evolution. I provide an introductory overview of planet formation, emphasizing the main ideas and reviewing current theoretical understanding. Many of the phases of planet formation have a well-developed physical understanding, though the complexity of the problem means that few can be quantitatively modeled with complete confidence. Transformative advances in disk imaging provide the first direct information on the initial conditions for planet formation, while exoplanet data has motivated new formation models that are faster, more efficient, and lead to a more diverse set of architectures than their Solar System inspired forebears. Much remains to be learned, and I close with a personal, incomplete list, of open problems.

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Cited by 8 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score.

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