Planetesimal Formation by Gravitational Instability
Planetesimal Formation by Gravitational Instability
We investigate the formation of planetesimals via the gravitational instability of solids that have settled to the midplane of a circumstellar disk. Vertical shear between the gas and a subdisk of solids induces turbulent mixing that inhibits gravitational instability. Working in the limit of small, well-coupled particles, we find that …