arXiv subjects

Sebastien Charnoz

Publications and source records attributed to Sebastien Charnoz.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Non-equilibrium condensation of the first Solar System solids

Primitive meteorites (chondrites) consist of an out-of-equilibrium assemblage of minerals formed during the assembling of our Solar Nebula. The conditions under which their precursors condensed remain unclear as a result of subsequent re-processing in the protoplanetary disk or in asteroidal parent bodies. Chondrites are classified into three main classes enstatite (EC), ordinary (OC), and carbonaceous (CC) distinguished by different bulk composition and oxidation state. While equilibrium condensation models explain the composition of some of their refractory components they do not explain the emergence of three mineralogical classes. Moreover, the low pressures, steep temperature gradients, and short dynamical transport timescales in forming protoplanetary disks likely hindered equilibrium. Here we test the hypothesis that chondrite precursors formed via kinetic non-equilibrium condensation. Using a new time-dependent condensation model, we show that varying the cooling rate and pressure produce only three types of mineralogies. Departure from equilibrium yields increasingly oxidized and hydrous mineralogies. When projected into a Urey-Craig diagram, the predicted mineralogical types fall close to the redox states of EC, OC, and CC chondrites. These results suggest that the mineralogical diversity of chondrites may reflect, in part, local condensation kinetics, offering an alternative to large-scale variations of oxidation conditions.

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arXiv2026

Gas-depleted planet formation occurred in the four-planet system around the red dwarf LHS 1903

Small exoplanet radii show two populations, referred to as super-Earths and sub-Neptunes, separated by a gap known as the radius valley. This may be produced by the removal of atmospheres due to stellar or internal heating, or lack of an initial envelope. We us transit photometry and radial velocity measurements to detect and characterize four planets orbiting LHS 1903, a red dwarf (M-dwarf) star in the Milky Way's thick disk. The planets have orbital periods between 2.2 and 29.3 days, and span the radius valley within a single planetary system. The derived densities indicate that LHS 1903 b is rocky, while LHS 1903 c and LHS 1903 d have extended atmospheres. Although the most distant planet from the host star, LHS 1903 e, has no gaseous envelope, indicating it formed from gas-depleted material.

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arXiv2026

Numerical Insights into Disk Accretion, Eccentricity, and Kinematics in the Class 0 phase

The formation and early evolution of protoplanetary disks are governed by a wide variety of physical processes during a gravitational collapse. Observations have begun probing disks in their earliest stages, and have favored the magnetically-regulated disk formation scenario. Disks are also expected to exhibit ellipsoidal morphologies in the early phases, an aspect that has been widely overlooked. We aim to describe the birth and evolution of the disk while accounting for the eccentric motions of fluid parcels. Using 3D radiative magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations with ambipolar diffusion, we self-consistently model the collapse of isolated $1~\mathrm{M_\odot}$ and $3~\mathrm{M_\odot}$ cores to form a central protostar surrounded by a disk. We account for dust dynamics, and employ gas tracer particles to follow the thermodynamical history of fluid parcels. We find that magnetic fields and turbulence drive highly anisotropic accretion onto the disk via dense streamers. This streamer-fed accretion, occurring from the vertical and radial directions, drives vigorous internal turbulence that facilitates efficient angular momentum transport and rapid radial spreading. Crucially, the anisotropic inflow delivers material with an angular momentum deficit that continuously generates and sustains significant disk eccentricity ($e\sim 0.1$). Our results reveal ubiquitous eccentric kinematics in Class 0 disks, with direct implications for disk evolution, planetesimal formation, and the interpretation of cosmochemical signatures in Solar System meteorites.

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arXiv2025

Understanding the formation of Saturn's regular moons in the context of giant planet moons formation scenarios

This article explores the different formation scenarios of the Kronian moons system in the context of a highly dissipative Saturn, with the objective of identifying the most likely of these scenarios. First, we review the diversity of objects - moons and rings - orbiting solar system giant planets, and the diversity of their architectures, which formation scenarios must reproduce. We then identify in this broader context the specific features of the Saturn system, such as the particularly large spectrum of its moon masses, the uniqueness of Titan and the presence of both dense and tenuous rings, before discussing the applicability of the different giant planet moon formation scenarios to the Saturn case. We discuss each of the most relevant scenarios and their respective merits. Finally, we tentatively propose a "favorite" scenario and we identify the key observations to be made by future space missions and/or Earth-based telescopic observations to validate this scenario or possibly alternative ones.

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arXiv2024

Hydrodynamical simulations of proto-Moon degassing

Similarities in the non-mass dependent isotopic composition of refractory elements with the bulk silicate Earth suggest that both the Earth and the Moon formed from the same material reservoir. On the other hand, the Moon's volatile depletion and isotopic composition of moderately volatile elements points to a global devolatilization processes, most likely during a magma ocean phase of the Moon. Here, we investigate the devolatilisation of the molten Moon due to a tidally-assisted hydrodynamic escape with a focus on the dynamics of the evaporated gas. Unlike the 1D steady-state approach of Charnoz et al. (2021), we use 2D time-dependent hydrodynamic simulations carried out with the FARGOCA code modified to take into account the magma ocean as a gas source. Near the Earth's Roche limit, where the proto-Moon likely formed, evaporated gases from the lunar magma ocean form a circum-Earth disk of volatiles, with less than 30% of material being re-accreted by the Moon. We find that the measured depletion of K and Na on the Moon can be achieved if the lunar magma-ocean had a surface temperature of about 1800-2000 K. After about 1000 years, a thermal boundary layer or a flotation crust forms a lid that inhibits volatile escape. Mapping the volatile velocity field reveals varying trends in the longitudes of volatile reaccretion on the Moon's surface: material is predominantly re-accreted on the trailing side when the Moon-Earth distance exceeds 3.5 Earth radii, suggesting a dichotomy in volatile abundances between the leading and trailing sides of the Moon. This dichotomy may provide insights on the tidal conditions of the early molten Earth. In conclusion, tidally-driven atmospheric escape effectively devolatilizes the Moon, matching the measured abundances of Na and K on timescales compatible with the formation of a thermal boundary layer or an anorthite flotation crust.

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arXiv2024

Formation and evolution of a protoplanetary disk: combining observations, simulations and cosmochemical constraints

We present a plausible and coherent view of the evolution of the protosolar disk that is consistent with the cosmochemical constraints and compatible with observations of other protoplanetary disks and sophisticated numerical simulations. The evidence that high-temperature condensates, CAIs and AOAs, formed near the protosun before being transported to the outer disk can be explained by either an early phase of vigorous radial spreading of the disk, or fast transport of these condensates from the vicinity of the protosun towards large disk radii via the protostellar outflow. The assumption that the material accreted towards the end of the infall phase was isotopically distinct allows us to explain the observed dichotomy in nucleosynthetic isotopic anomalies of meteorites and leads to intriguing predictions on the isotopic composition of refractory elements in comets. When the infall of material waned, the disk started to evolve as an accretion disk. Initially, dust drifted inwards, shrinking the radius of the dust component to ~ 45 au, probably about 1/2 of the width of the gas component. Then structures must have emerged, producing a series of pressure maxima in the disk which trapped the dust on My timescales. This allowed planetesimals to form at radically distinct times without changing significantly of isotopic properties. There was no late accretion of material onto the disk via streamers. The disk disappeared in ~5 Myr, as indicated by paleomagnetic data in meteorites. In conclusion, the evolution of the protosolar disk seems to have been quite typical in terms of size, lifetime, and dust behavior, suggesting that the peculiarities of the Solar system with respect to extrasolar planetary system probably originate from the chaotic nature of planet formation and not at the level of the parental disk.

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arXiv2024

Long-term dust dynamics in Didymos and Dimorphos system: production, stability, and transport

Target of NASA's DART mission, the system of Didymos and Dimorphos will once again be visited by a space mission -- ESA's Hera mission, scheduled to be launch in 2024. Hera will arrive in the system approximately 4 years after the DART impact, a long period compared to Dimorphos' orbital period (about 12 hours). It is therefore imperative to understand the dynamics of material in this environment on a long timescale. Here, we explore the long-term dynamics of the binary system (65038) Didymos, in the context of the perturbed, planar, circular and restricted 3-body problem. We design an analytical description for a symmetrical top-shaped object, the shape assumed for the Didymos, while the Dimorphos is considered an ellipsoid. In the absence of external effects, we identify seven stable equatorial regions where particles persist for more than a decade. However, in the presence of the solar radiation effect, the lifetime of small particles (<mm) is in the order of days, being unlikely that Hera spacecraft will encounter clusters of millimetre and sub-millimetre particles in stable equatorial orbits. Nonetheless, large objects may reside in the region for some years, particularly in quasi-satellite orbits, the most stable orbits in the system. Additionally, interplanetary dust impacts onto Didymos populate the region, extending up to a distance of approximately 1500 meters from the primary center, with young dust. These impacts are responsible for a transfer of dust mainly from Didymos to Dimorphos. If the interplanetary dust impacts generate metric-sized boulders, they may persist in the system for years, in first sort orbits around Didymos.

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arXiv2023

Exploring the recycling model of Phobos formation: rubble-pile satellites

Phobos is the target of the return sample mission Martian Moons eXploration by JAXA that will analyze in great details the physical and compositional properties of the satellite from orbit, from the surface and in terrestrial laboratories, giving clues about its formation. Some models propose that Phobos and Deimos were formed after a giant impact giving rise to an extended debris disk. Assuming that Phobos formed from a cascade of disruptions and re-accretions of several parent bodies in this disk, and that they are all characterized by a low material cohesion, Hesselbrock & Milton (2017) have showed that a recycling process may happen during the assembling of Phobos, by which Phobos' parents are destroyed into a Roche-interior ring and reaccreted several times. In the current paper we explore in details the recycling model, and pay particular attention to the characteristics of the disk using 1D models of disk/satellite interactions. In agreement with previous studies we confirm that, if Phobos' parents bodies are gravitational aggregates (rubble piles), then the recycling process does occur. However, Phobos should be accompanied today by a Roche-interior ring. Furthermore, the characteristics of the ring are not reconcilable with today`s observations of Mars' environment, which put stringent constraints on the existence of a ring around Mars. The recycling mechanism may or may not have occurred at the Roche limit for an old moon population, depending on their internal cohesion. However, the Phobos we see today cannot be the outcome of such a recycling process.

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arXiv2023

Dynamical origin of Dimorphos from fast spinning Didymos

Didymos is a binary near-Earth asteroid. It is the target of the DART and HERA space missions. The primary body, Didymos, rotates close to the spin at which it is expected to shed mass. The secondary body, Dimorphos, is a 140 meters moon that orbits the primary body in about 12 hours. Here we investigate the possible origin of Dimorphos. Using 1D models of ring/satellite interactions, we study the evolution of material lost from Didymos' surface and deposited as a ring at its equator. We find that due to viscous spreading, the ring spreads outside the Didymos' Roche limit forming moonlets. A fraction of the mass will form Dimorphos and a set of objects near the Roche limit, while most of the ring's mass falls back on Didymos. To match the properties of today's Dimorphos, the total mass that must be deposited in the ring is about 25% of Didymos' mass. It is possible that a fraction of the material travelled several times between the ring and the surface of Didymos. The models produce an orbit similar to that observed for a Didymos tidal parameter k2/Q<1e-5. If the ring deposition timescale is long (>100 yr) (so the material flux is small) Dimorphos could be irregularly shaped as it forms from the collision of similar-sized satellitesimals. However, the top-shape of Didymos is expected to be achieved due to a fast spin-up of the asteroid, which would result in a short deposition timescale (<yr). In that case, the satellite would form from progressively accreting material at the Roche Limit, resulting in an ellipsoidal Dimorphos constructed of small pieces with sizes of the order of meters, which is apparently in agreement with the recent images of Dimorphos obtained by DART mission.

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arXiv2021

Contemporary formation of early solar system planetesimals at two distinct radial locations

The formation of planetesimals is expected to occur via particle-gas instabilities that concentrate dust into self-gravitating clumps. Triggering these instabilities requires the prior pileup of dust in the protoplanetary disk. Until now, this has been successfully modeled exclusively at the disk's snowline, whereas rocky planetesimals in the inner disk were obtained only by assuming either unrealistically large particle sizes or an enhanced global disk metallicity. However, planetesimal formation solely at the snowline is difficult to reconcile with the early and contemporaneous formation of iron meteorite parent bodies with distinct oxidation states and isotopic compositions, indicating formation at different radial locations in the disk. Here, by modeling the evolution of a disk with ongoing accretion of material from the collapsing molecular cloud, we show that planetesimal formation may have been triggered within the first 0.5 million years by dust pileup at both the snowline (at approximately 5 au) and the silicate sublimation line (at approximately 1 au), provided turbulent diffusion was low. Particle concentration at approximately 1 au is due to the early outward radial motion of gas and is assisted by the sublimation and recondensation of silicates. Our results indicate that, although the planetesimals at the two locations formed about contemporaneously, those at the snowline accreted a large fraction of their mass (approximately 60 percent) from materials delivered to the disk in the first few 10,000 yr, whereas this fraction is only 30 percent for the planetesimals formed at the silicate line. Thus, provided that the isotopic composition of the delivered material changed with time, these two planetesimal populations should have distinct isotopic compositions, consistent with observations.

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arXiv2014

Signatures of massive collisions in debris discs

Violent stochastic collisional events have been invoked as a possible explanation for some debris discs displaying pronounced asymmetries or having a great luminosity excess. So far, no thorough modelling of the consequences of such events has been carried out, mainly because of the extreme numerical challenge of coupling the dynamical and collisional evolution of dust. We perform the first fully self-consistent modelling of the aftermath of massive breakups in debris discs. We follow the collisional and dynamical evolution of dust released after the breakup of a Ceres-sized body at 6 AU from its central star. We investigate the duration, magnitude and spatial structure of the signature left by such a violent event, as well as its observational detectability. We use the recently developed LIDT-DD code (Kral et al., 2013), which handles the coupled collisional and dynamical evolution of debris discs. The main focus is placed on the complex interplay between destructive collisions, Keplerian dynamics and radiation pressure forces. We use the GRaTer package to estimate the system's luminosity at different wavelengths. The breakup of a Ceres-sized body at 6 AU creates an asymmetric dust disc that is homogenized, by the coupled action of collisions and dynamics, on a timescale of a few $10^5$ years. The luminosity excess in the breakup's aftermath should be detectable by mid-IR photometry, from a 30 pc distance, over a period of $\sim 10^6$ years that exceeds the duration of the asymmetric phase of the disc (a few $10^5$ years). As for the asymmetric structures, we derive synthetic images for the SPHERE/VLT and MIRI/JWST instruments, showing that they should be clearly visible and resolved from a 10 pc distance. Images at 1.6$μ$m (marginally), 11.4 and 15.5$μ$m would show the inner disc structures while 23$μ$m images would display the outer disc asymmetries.

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arXiv2011

3D Lagrangian turbulent diffusion of dust grains in a protoplanetary disk: method and first applications

In order to understand how the chemical and isotopic compositions of dust grains in a gaseous turbulent protoplanetary disk are altered during their journey in the disk, it is important to determine their individual trajectories. We study here the dust-diffusive transport using lagrangian numerical simulations using the the popular "turbulent diffusion" formalism. However it is naturally expressed in an Eulerian form, which does not allow the trajectories of individual particles to be studied. We present a simple stochastic and physically justified procedure for modeling turbulent diffusion in a Lagrangian form that overcomes these difficulties. We show that a net diffusive flux F of the dust appears and that it is proportional to the gas density ({\rho}) gradient and the dust diffusion coefficient Dd: (F=Dd/{\rho}\timesgrad({\rho})). It induces an inward transport of dust in the disk's midplane, while favoring outward transport in the disk's upper layers. We present tests and applications comparing dust diffusion in the midplane and upper layers as well as sample trajectories of particles with different sizes. We also discuss potential applications for cosmochemistry and SPH codes.

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arXiv2009

Origin and Evolution of Saturn's Ring System

The origin and long-term evolution of Saturn's rings is still an unsolved problem in modern planetary science. In this chapter we review the current state of our knowledge on this long-standing question for the main rings (A, Cassini Division, B, C), the F Ring, and the diffuse rings (E and G). During the Voyager era, models of evolutionary processes affecting the rings on long time scales (erosion, viscous spreading, accretion, ballistic transport, etc.) had suggested that Saturn's rings are not older than 100 My. In addition, Saturn's large system of diffuse rings has been thought to be the result of material loss from one or more of Saturn's satellites. In the Cassini era, high spatial and spectral resolution data have allowed progress to be made on some of these questions. Discoveries such as the ''propellers'' in the A ring, the shape of ring-embedded moonlets, the clumps in the F Ring, and Enceladus' plume provide new constraints on evolutionary processes in Saturn's rings. At the same time, advances in numerical simulations over the last 20 years have opened the way to realistic models of the rings's fine scale structure, and progress in our understanding of the formation of the Solar System provides a better-defined historical context in which to understand ring formation. All these elements have important implications for the origin and long-term evolution of Saturn's rings. They strengthen the idea that Saturn's rings are very dynamical and rapidly evolving, while new arguments suggest that the rings could be older than previously believed, provided that they are regularly renewed. Key evolutionary processes, timescales and possible scenarios for the rings's origin are reviewed in the light of t

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arXiv2009

Deciphering the Origin of the Regular Satellites of Gaseous Giants - Iapetus: the Rosetta Ice-Moon

Here we show that Iapetus can serve to discriminate between satellite formation models. Its accretion history can be understood in terms of a two-component gaseous subnebula, with a relatively dense inner region, and an extended tail out to the location of the irregular satellites, as in the SEMM model of Mosqueira and Estrada (2003a,b). Following giant planet formation, planetesimals in the feeding zone of Jupiter and Saturn become dynamically excited, and undergo a collisional cascade. Ablation and capture of planetesimal fragments crossing the gaseous circumplanetary disks delivers enough collisional rubble to account for the mass budgets of the regular satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. This process can result in rock/ice fractionation provided the make up of the population of disk crossers is non-homogeneous, thus offering a natural explanation for the marked compositional differences between outer solar nebula objects and those that accreted in the subnebulae of the giant planets. Consequently, our model leads to an enhancement of the ice content of Iapetus, and to a lesser degree those of Ganymede, Titan and Callisto, and accounts for the (non-stochastic) compositions of these large, low-porosity outer regular satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. (abridged)

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arXiv2009

The opposition effect in Saturn rings seen by Cassini/ISS: 1. Morphology of phase curves

The Cassini cameras have captured the opposition effect in Saturn rings with a high radial resolution at phase angles down to 0.01o in the entire main ring system. We derive phase functions from 0.01 to 25 degrees of phase angle in the Wide-Angle Camera clear filters with a central wavelength of 0.611microns and phase functions from 0.001 to 25 degrees of phase angle in the Narrow-Angle and Wide-Angle Cameras color filters (from the blue 0.451 microns to the near infrared 0.752 microns). We characterize the morphology of the phase functions of different features in the main rings. We find that the shape of the phase function is accurately represented by a logarithmic model (Bobrov 1970, in Surfaces and Interiors of Planets and Satellites, Academic, edited by A. Dollfus). For practical purposes, we also parametrize the phase curves by a simple linear-by-part model (Lumme and Irvine 1976, Astronomical Journal, 81, p865), which provides three morphological parameters : the amplitude and the Half-Width at Half-Maximum (HWHM) of the surge, and the slope S of the linear-part of the phase function at larger phase angles. Our analysis demonstrates that all of these parameters show trends with the optical depth of the rings. These trends imply that the optical depth is a key-element determining the physical properties which act on the opposition effect. Wavelength variations of the morphological parameters of the surge show important trends with the optical depth in the green filter (0.568 microns), which implies that grain size effects are maximum in this wavelength.

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arXiv2009

The opposition effect in the outer Solar System: a comparative study of the phase function morphology

In this paper, we characterize the morphology of the disk-integrated phase functions of satellites and rings around the giant planets of our Solar System. We find that the shape of the phase function is accurately represented by a logarithmic model (Bobrov, 1970, in Surfaces and Interiors of Planets and Satellites, Academic, edited by A. Dollfus). For practical purposes, we also parametrize the phase curves by a linear-exponential model (Kaasalainen et al., 2001, Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, 70, 529-543) and a simple linear-by-parts model (Lumme and Irvine, 1976, Astronomical Journal, 81, 865-893), which provides three morphological parameters : the amplitude A and the Half-Width at Half-Maximum (HWHM) of the opposition surge, and the slope S of the linear part of the phase function at larger phase angles. Our analysis demonstrates that all of these morphological parameters are correlated with the single scattering albedos of the surfaces. By taking more accurately into consideration the finite angular size of the Sun, we find that the Galilean, Saturnian, Uranian and Neptunian satellites have similar HWHMs (0.5 degrees), whereas they have a wide range of amplitudes A. The Moon has the largest HWHM (2 degrees). We interpret that as a consequence of the solar size bias, via the finite size of the Sun which varies dramatically from the Earth to Neptune. By applying a new method that attempts to morphologically deconvolve the phase function to the solar angular size, we find that icy and young surfaces, with active resurfacing, have the smallest values of A and HWHM, whereas dark objects (and perhaps older surfaces) such as the Moon, Nereid and Saturn C ring have the largest A and HWHM.

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arXiv2009

Physical collisions of moonlets and clumps with the Saturn's F-ring core

Since 2004, observations of Saturn's F ring have revealed that the ring's core is surrounded by structures with radial scales of hundreds of kilometers, called "spirals" and "jets". Gravitational scattering by nearby moons was suggested as a potential production mechanism; however, it remained doubtful because a population of Prometheus-mass moons is needed and, obviously, such a population does not exist in the F ring region. We investigate here another mechanism: dissipative physical collisions of kilometer-size moonlets (or clumps) with the F-ring core. We show that it is a viable and efficient mechanism for producing spirals and jets, provided that massive moonlets are embedded in the F-ring core and that they are impacted by loose clumps orbiting in the F ring region, which could be consistent with recent data from ISS, VIMS and UVIS. We show also that coefficients of restitution as low as ~0.1 are needed to reproduce the radial extent of spirals and jets, suggesting that collisions are very dissipative in the F ring region. In conclusion, spirals and jets would be the direct manifestation the ongoing collisional activity of the F ring region.

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arXiv2008

Did Saturn's rings form during the Late Heavy Bombardment ?

The origin of Saturn\' s massive ring system is still unknown. Two popular scenarios - the tidal splitting of passing comets and the collisional destruction of a satellite - rely on a high cometary flux in the past. In the present paper we attempt to quantify the cometary flux during the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB) to assess the likelihood of both scenarios. Our analysis relies on the so-called Nice model of the origin of the LHB (Tsiganis et al., 2005; Morbidelli et al., 2005; Gomes et al., 2005) and on the size distribution of the primordial trans-Neptunian planetesimals constrained in Charnoz & Morbidelli (2007). We find that the cometary flux on Saturn during the LHB was so high that both scenarios for the formation of Saturn rings are viable in principle. However, a more detailed study shows that the comet tidal disruption scenario implies that all four giant planets should have comparable ring systems whereas the destroyed satellite scenario would work only for Saturn, and perhaps Jupiter. This is because in Saturnś system, the synchronous orbit is interior to the Roche Limit, which is a necessary condition for maintaining a satellite in the Roche zone up to the time of the LHB. We also discuss the apparent elimination of silicates from the ring parent body implied by the purity of the ice in Saturn \' s rings. The LHB has also strong implications for the survival of the Saturnian satellites: all satellites smaller than Mimas would have been destroyed during the LHB, whereas Enceladus would have had from 40% to 70% chance of survival depending on the disruption model. In conclusion, these results suggest that the LHB is the sweet moment for the formation of a massive ring system around Saturn.

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