Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 May 2016
We consider the formation of planetesimals via gravitational instability. While minimum solar nebula (MSN) models are known to be gravitationally stable, we find that sufficiently metal enriched and/or colder discs can yield planetesimals by the Goldreich-Ward mechanism (GWM). This is because the shear between gas and solids, previously believed to render the GWM ineffective, can only stir a finite amount of solids.