New simulations from Rice University reveal that Jupiter's rapid early expansion created gaps and rings in the protoplanetary disk, delaying the formation of certain planetesimals. This process explains the late birth of chondrite meteorites and why Earth and other rocky planets stayed near 1 AU from the sun. The findings, published in Science Advances, tie together isotopic evidence and planetary dynamics.
Research led by André Izidoro and Baibhav Srivastava at Rice University used hydrodynamic models and simulations to show how Jupiter's quick growth disturbed the gas and dust disk around the young sun. The planet's gravitational pull generated ripples, forming 'cosmic traffic jams' that prevented small particles from falling into the sun and instead accumulated them into dense bands. These bands allowed for the formation of second-generation planetesimals, which match the ages and chemistry of chondrite meteorites.
Chondrites, primitive stony meteorites, formed 2 to 3 million years after the solar system's first solid materials, a timing that has puzzled scientists. 'Chondrites are like time capsules from the dawn of the solar system,' said Izidoro, assistant professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Rice. 'They have fallen to Earth over billions of years, where scientists collect and study them to unlock clues about our cosmic origins. The mystery has always been: Why did some of these meteorites form so late? Our results show that Jupiter itself created the conditions for their delayed birth.'
The study also addresses why Earth, Venus, and Mars orbit near 1 astronomical unit rather than migrating inward, as seen in many exoplanetary systems. Jupiter's gap in the disk blocked inward gas flow, keeping these planets in the terrestrial zone. 'Jupiter didn't just become the biggest planet -- it set the architecture for the whole inner solar system,' Izidoro said. 'Without it, we might not have Earth as we know it.'
These conclusions align with ring-and-gap patterns observed in young star system disks by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope. The work was supported by the National Science Foundation and appears in Science Advances (DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ady4823).