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6 - Giant Planet Formation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2020

Philip J. Armitage
Affiliation:
Stony Brook University, State University of New York
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Summary

Chapter 6 describes theoretical models for the formation of giant planets, and relevant observational constraints from the Solar System. The core accretion theory for giant planet formation is introduced, including the equations describing planetary envelope structure, the concept of a critical core mass, and illustrative evolutionary tracks for giant planet growth. Current knowledge of the internal structure of Jupiter, based on measurements of the gravitational field, is summarized. The conditions under which a massive gas disk becomes unstable and fragments are described, together with the likely outcome of disk instability.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Giant Planet Formation
  • Philip J. Armitage, Stony Brook University, State University of New York
  • Book: Astrophysics of Planet Formation
  • Online publication: 27 January 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108344227.007
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  • Giant Planet Formation
  • Philip J. Armitage, Stony Brook University, State University of New York
  • Book: Astrophysics of Planet Formation
  • Online publication: 27 January 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108344227.007
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Giant Planet Formation
  • Philip J. Armitage, Stony Brook University, State University of New York
  • Book: Astrophysics of Planet Formation
  • Online publication: 27 January 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108344227.007
Available formats
×