arXiv subjects

Sota Arakawa

Publications and source records attributed to Sota Arakawa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Formation of Ryugu's parent planetesimal beyond the CO$_{2}$ snow line from small pebbles: insights from thermal evolution modeling

Astronomical observations of planet-forming circumstellar disks indicate that planetesimals form from 0.1-mm- to 1-cm-sized dust aggregates, commonly called ``pebbles.'' When such pebbles accrete beyond the water snow line, the resulting icy planetesimals undergo water--rock differentiation and develop porous pebble-pile cores whose voids are saturated with liquid water. Circulation of this water enhances heat transport in the core, suppressing the temperature rise caused by the decay of radionuclides. In this study, we constrain the accretion age and constituent pebble size of Ryugu's parent planetesimal by modeling the thermal evolution of icy planetesimals and comparing the results with the precipitation ages and temperatures of aqueously formed minerals identified in samples returned from asteroid Ryugu. Our numerical results suggest that Ryugu's parent planetesimal accreted within 2.0 Myr of the formation of calcium--aluminum-rich inclusions. The inferred early accretion age supports the hypothesis that Ryugu's parent planetesimal formed earlier than most chondrule-bearing carbonaceous chondrite parent planetesimals, potentially explaining the absence of chondrules in Ryugu samples. We also found that the core of the parent planetesimal was composed of pebbles no larger than a few millimeters. Such small pebble sizes are consistent with theoretical predictions for planetesimals formed beyond the CO$_{2}$ snow line.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2026

The dust-rich, gas-depleted protosolar disk as the birthplace of chondrules

Chondrules are the primary components of primitive meteorites known as chondrites, and understanding their formation and accumulation is essential for elucidating the history of planet formation in the Solar System. Although a variety of chondrule formation mechanisms have been proposed, it remains challenging to satisfy the key constraints on chondrule abundance, formation timing, and mineralogical and chemical characteristics within a single model. In particular, the planetesimal bow-shock model, once considered one of the leading candidates, now faces a fundamental difficulty: Jupiter's formation likely depleted gas in the protosolar disk, potentially lowering the gas density below that required for efficient chondrule formation by planetesimal bow shocks. Here we propose an alternative mechanism that can occur in a gas-depleted environment: heavy bombardment of eccentric planetesimals by debris dust. After Jupiter formed in the protosolar disk, the region interior to its orbit became gas-depleted, leading to the formation of a geometrically thin debris-dust layer. When planetesimals enter the dust layer at high speed, large quantities of molten silicate droplets are produced. These droplets cool and solidify into chondrules and are reincorporated into the dust layer. Using analytical calculations, we find that our model can potentially explain the abundance, formation timing, and mineralogical and chemical characteristics of chondrules. This study links the formation of Jupiter and the accompanying evolution of the protosolar disk to the origin of terrestrial planets, asteroids, and meteorites, thereby offering a new framework for the formation of the Solar System.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2026

A semi-analytic model of the bouncing barrier for protoplanetary dust aggregates

Collisional bouncing limits the growth of dust aggregates in protoplanetary disks, but its dependence on aggregate size, collision velocity, and filling factor remains poorly understood. Here we develop a semi-analytic model for the sticking probability of colliding dust aggregates. We divide each aggregate collision into two phases: a compression phase and a separation phase. The compression phase is described with an elastoplastic contact model, which determines the maximum contact radius and repulsive energy after compression. The separation phase is treated as fracture of a stochastic network of interparticle bonds, whose fracture energy is evaluated using weakest-link statistics. The model naturally predicts that larger aggregates bounce more readily because larger contact regions are more likely to contain weak bonds. Comparison with distinct element method simulations shows that the model reproduces the simulated sticking--bouncing boundary. Furthermore, applying the calibrated model to moderately porous aggregates inferred from ALMA observations of protoplanetary disks, we find that the predicted bouncing barrier passes through the observationally inferred size--velocity range. Thus, our semi-analytic model provides a useful framework for predicting the collisional evolution of protoplanetary dust aggregates.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2026

Oxygen Isotopic Compositions of Chondrules as Probes of Solar Protoplanetary Disk Formation

Chondrules are thought to have formed during transient flash-heating events in dust-enriched regions of the solar protoplanetary disk. Although laboratory studies have characterized the oxygen isotopic compositions of chondritic materials, quantitative interpretations based on simulations of disk formation and evolution remain limited. Here, we perform one-dimensional simulations of disk formation and evolution by solving a diffusion--advection equation with mass infall from the parental cloud core. We compute the temporal evolution of oxygen isotopic compositions using an experimentally derived isotope-exchange model. We examine how the oxygen isotopic signatures of the disk depend on the radial distribution of infalling material and the composition of the parental cloud core. We find that the oxygen isotopic compositions of carbonaceous-chondrite chondrules can be reproduced if either (i) the radial extent of mass infall onto the disk is moderate ($\sim 10~{\rm au}$), or (ii) it is large ($> 10~{\rm au}$) and the parental cloud core was ice-depleted and/or experienced weaker CO self-shielding than is commonly assumed. We further suggest the scenario that the observed bimodal trends in oxygen isotopic composition and redox state reflect the partial escape of H$_{2}$O vapor from chondrule-forming regions during heating. In contrast, if ordinary-chondrite chondrules formed inside the snow line under background temperatures of $\lesssim 500~{\rm K}$, their oxygen isotopic compositions may be difficult to explain within the present disk-evolution model, because oxygen isotopic exchange between silicates and vapor species proceeds efficiently only in the inner disk at $T \gtrsim 500$--$600~{\rm K}$.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2025

Compression-driven jamming in porous cohesive aggregates

I investigate the compression-driven jamming behavior of two-dimensional porous aggregates composed of cohesive, frictionless disks. Three types of initial aggregates are prepared using different aggregation procedures, namely, reaction-limited aggregation (RLA), ballistic particle-cluster aggregation (BPCA), and diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA), to elucidate the influence of aggregate morphology. Using distinct-element-method simulations with a shrinking circular boundary, I numerically obtain the pressure as a function of the packing fraction $ϕ$. For the densest RLA and the intermediate BPCA aggregates, a clear jamming transition is observed at a critical packing fraction $ϕ_{\rm J}$, below which the pressure vanishes and above which a finite pressure emerges; the transition is less distinct for the most porous DLA aggregates. The jamming threshold depends on the initial structure and, when extrapolated to infinite system size, approaches $ϕ_{\rm J} = 0.765 \pm 0.004$ for RLA, $0.727 \pm 0.004$ for BPCA, and $0.602 \pm 0.023$ for DLA, where the errors denote the standard error. Above $ϕ_{\rm J}$, the pressure follows $P \approx A {( ϕ- ϕ_{\rm J} )}^{2}$, which implies that the bulk modulus $K$ of jammed aggregates is proportional to $ϕ- ϕ_{\rm J}$. Rigid-cluster analysis of jammed aggregates shows that the average coordination number within the largest rigid cluster increases linearly with $ϕ- ϕ_{\rm J}$. Taken together, these relations suggest that the elastic response of compressed porous aggregates is analogous to that of random spring networks.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2025

Numerical Investigation on the Compressive Behavior of Hierarchical Granular Piles

Hierarchical granular piles composed of aggregates are key structural features in both geoscience and planetary science, from fault gouge in seismic zones to the internal structures of comets. Although experimental studies have suggested a multi-step evolution in their packing structure, this hypothesis has lacked numerical validation. In this study, we performed large-scale numerical simulations using the discrete element method to investigate the compressive behavior of hierarchical granular piles. We successfully reproduced and confirmed a three-stage evolution process: (i) rearrangement of the aggregate packing structure, (ii) plastic deformation of small aggregates, and (iii) elastic deformation of constituent particles. Additionally, we developed a semi-analytical model for the compression curve, offering insights into the compressive stages and structural dynamics. Our findings have applications in modeling the internal density profiles of comets and in understanding the early thermal evolution of small icy bodies.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2025

Low rock mass fraction within trans-Neptunian objects inferred from the spin-orbit evolution of Orcus-Vanth and Salacia-Actaea

Satellites play a crucial role in understanding the formation and evolution of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). The spin--orbit evolution of satellite systems depends on their thermal histories, allowing us to constrain the rock mass fraction within TNOs based on their current spin--orbit states. In this study, we perform coupled thermal--orbital evolution calculations for two satellite systems around undifferentiated TNOs: Orcus--Vanth and Salacia--Actaea. Our results demonstrate that the current spin--orbit states of these systems are consistent with a rock mass fraction of approximately 20--30%. Additionally, we estimate the organic mass fraction within the TNOs and find that it is comparable to the rock mass fraction. These findings suggest that the chemical composition of TNOs closely resembles that of comets.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2024

A closer look at individual collisions of dust aggregates: Material mixing and exchange on microscopic scales

Collisions between aggregates with different histories and compositions are expected to be commonplace in dynamically active protoplanetary discs. Nonetheless, relatively little is known about how collisions themselves may contribute to the resulting mixing of material. Here we use state-of-the-art granular dynamics simulations to investigate mixing between target/projectile material in a variety of individual aggregate-aggregate collisions, and use the results to discuss the efficiency of collisional mixing in protoplanetary environments. We consider sticking collisions (up to 10-20 m/s for our set-up) and disruptive collisions (40 m/s) of BPCA and BCCA clusters, and quantify mixing in the resulting fragments on both individual fragment and sub-aggregate levels. We find that the mass fraction of material that can be considered to be `well-mixed' (i.e., locally made up of a mix of target and projectile material) to be limited, typically between 3-6% for compact BPCA precursors, and increasing to 20-30% for more porous BCCA clusters. The larger fragments produced in disruptive collisions are equally heterogeneous, suggesting aggregate-aggregate collisions are a relatively inefficient way of mixing material with different origins on small scales.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2024

Oxygen Isotope Exchange Between Dust Aggregates and Ambient Nebular Gas

Meteorites and their components exhibit a diverse range of oxygen isotope compositions, and the isotopic exchange timescale between dust grains and ambient gas is a key parameter for understanding the spatiotemporal evolution of the solar nebula. As dust grains existed as macroscopic aggregates in the solar nebula, it is necessary to consider the isotopic exchange timescales for these aggregates. Here, we theoretically estimate the isotope exchange timescales between dust aggregates and ambient vapor. The isotope exchange process between aggregates and ambient vapor is divided into four processes: (i) supply of gas molecules to the aggregate surface, (ii) diffusion of molecules within the aggregate, (iii) isotope exchange on the surface of constituent particles, and (iv) isotope diffusion within the particles. We evaluate these timescales and assess which one becomes the rate-determining step. We reveal that the isotope exchange timescale is approximately the same as that of the constituent particles when the aggregate radius is smaller than the critical value, which is a few centimeters when considering the exchange reaction between amorphous forsterite aggregates and water vapor.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2024

On the elastoplastic behavior in collisional compression of spherical dust aggregates

Aggregates consisting of submicron-sized cohesive dust grains are ubiquitous, and understanding the collisional behavior of dust aggregates is essential. It is known that low-speed collisions of dust aggregates result in either sticking or bouncing, and local and permanent compaction occurs near the contact area upon collision. In this study, we perform numerical simulations of collisions between two aggregates and investigate their compressive behavior. We find that the maximum compression length is proportional to the radius of aggregates and increases with the collision velocity. We also reveal that a theoretical model of contact between two elastoplastic spheres successfully reproduces the size- and velocity-dependence of the maximum compression length observed in our numerical simulations. Our findings on the plastic deformation of aggregates during collisional compression provide a clue to understanding the collisional growth process of aggregates.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2024

Isotopic variation of non-carbonaceous meteorites caused by dust leakage across the Jovian gap in the solar nebula

High-precision isotopic measurements of meteorites revealed that they are classified into non-carbonaceous (NC) and carbonaceous (CC) meteorites. One plausible scenario for achieving this grouping is the early formation of Jupiter because massive planets can create gaps that suppress the mixing of dust across the gap in protoplanetary disks. However, the efficiency of this suppression by the gaps depends on dust size and the strength of turbulent diffusion, allowing some fraction of the dust particles to leak across the Jovian gap. In this study, we investigate how isotopic ratios of NC and CC meteorites are varied by the dust leaking across the Jovian gap in the solar nebula. To do this, we constructed a model to simulate the evolution of the dust size distribution and the $^{54}$Cr-isotopic anomaly $\varepsilon^{54}$Cr in isotopically heterogeneous disks with Jupiter. Assuming that the parent bodies of NC and CC meteorites are formed in two dust-concentrated locations inside and outside Jupiter's orbit, referred to as the NC reservoir and CC reservoir, we derive the temporal variation of $\varepsilon^{54}$Cr at the NC and CC reservoir. Our results indicate that substantial contamination of CC materials occurs at the NC reservoir in the fiducial run. Nevertheless, the values of $\varepsilon^{54}$Cr at the NC reservoir and the CC reservoir in the run are still consistent with those of NC and CC meteorites formed around 2 Myrs after the formation of calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions. Moreover, this dust leakage causes a positive correlation between the $\varepsilon^{54}$Cr value of NC meteorites and the accretion ages of their parent bodies.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2024

Chondrule Destruction via Dust Collisions in Shock Waves

A leading candidate for the heating source of chondrules and igneous rims is shock waves. This mechanism generates high relative velocities between chondrules and dust particles. We have investigated the possibility of the chondrule destruction in collisions with dust particles behind a shock wave using a semianalytical treatment. We find that the chondrules are destroyed during melting in collisions. We derive the conditions for the destruction of chondrules and show that the typical size of the observed chondrules satisfies the condition. We suggest that the chondrule formation and rim accretion are different events if they are heated by shock waves.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2024

Interparticle normal force in highly porous granular matter during compression

We perform a numerical simulation of compression of a highly porous dust aggregate of monodisperse spheres. We find that the average interparticle normal force within the aggregate is inversely proportional to both the filling factor and the average coordination number, and we also derive this relation theoretically. Our findings would be applicable for granular matter of arbitrary structures, as long as the constituent particles are monodisperse spheres.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2023

Survivability of Amorphous Ice in Comets Depends on the Latent Heat of Crystallization of Impure Water Ice

Comets would have amorphous ice rather than crystalline one at the epoch of their accretion. Cometary ice contains some impurities that govern the latent heat of ice crystallization, $L_{\rm cry}$. However, it is still controversial whether the crystallization process is exothermic or endothermic. In this study, we perform one-dimensional simulations of the thermal evolution of km-sized comets and investigate the effect of the latent heat. We find that the depth where amorphous ice can survive significantly depends on the latent heat of ice crystallization. Assuming the cometary radius of 2 km, the depth of the amorphous ice mantle is approximately 100 m when the latent heat is positive (i.e., the exothermic case with $L_{\rm cry} = + 9 \times 10^{4}$ J/kg). In contrast, when we consider the impure ice representing the endothermic case with $L_{\rm cry} = - 9 \times 10^{4}$ J/kg, the depth of the amorphous ice mantle could exceed 1 km. Although our numerical results indicate that these depths depend on the size and the accretion age of comets, the depth in a comet with the negative latent heat is a few to several times larger than the positive case for a given comet size. This work suggests that the spatial distribution of the ice crystallinity in a comet nucleus depends on the latent heat, which can be different from the previous estimates assuming pure water ice.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2023

Root mean squares of distance and geodesic between two constituent particles within fractal aggregates prepared by BCCA, DLA, and GSAW procedures

Understanding the geodesic properties of fractal aggregates is essential, as their thermal and mechanical properties are characterized by their geodesics. In this study, we investigate the root mean square (RMS) of the geodesic between two constituent particles within fractal aggregates prepared by ballistic cluster-cluster aggregation (BCCA), diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA), and growing self-avoiding walk (GSAW) processes in two- and three-dimensional spaces. We find that the dependence of the RMS of the geodesic on the number of constituent particles is given by the following equation: $N \approx k_{\rm g} {D_{\rm RMS}}^{d_{\rm g}}$, where $N$ is the number of constituent particles and $D_{\rm RMS}$ is the RMS of the geodesic. We numerically obtain the prefactor $k_{\rm g}$ and exponent $d_{\rm g}$ for these fractal aggregates. We name the exponent ``the geodesic dimension'', and it is compared with the fractal dimension. Our findings show that the difference between fractal and geodesic dimensions varies significantly depending on the preparation procedure for fractals.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2023

Oxygen Isotope Exchange Between Molten Silicate Spherules and Ambient Water Vapor with Nonzero Relative Velocity: Implication for Chondrule Formation Environment

Oxygen isotope compositions of chondrules reflect the environment of chondrule formation and its spatial and temporal variations. Here, we present a theoretical model of oxygen isotope exchange reaction between molten silicate spherules and ambient water vapor with finite relative velocity. We found a new phenomenon, that is, mass-dependent fractionation caused by isotope exchange with ambient vapor moving with nonzero relative velocity. We also discussed the plausible condition for chondrule formation from the point of view of oxygen isotope compositions. Our findings indicate that the relative velocity between chondrules and ambient vapor would be lower than several 100 m/s when chondrules crystallized.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2023

Size Dependence of the Bouncing Barrier in Protoplanetary Dust Growth

Understanding the collisional behavior of dust aggregates is essential in the context of planet formation. It is known that low-velocity collisions of dust aggregates result in bouncing rather than sticking when the filling factor of colliding dust aggregates is higher than a threshold value. However, a large discrepancy between numerical and experimental results on the threshold filling factor was reported so far. In this study, we perform numerical simulations using soft-sphere discrete element methods and demonstrate that the sticking probability decreases with increasing aggregates radius. Our results suggest that the large discrepancy in the threshold filling factor may reflect the difference in the size of dust aggregates in earlier numerical simulations and laboratory experiments.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2023

Insights on the Sun birth environment in the context of star-cluster formation in hub-filament systems

Cylindrical molecular filaments are observed to be the main sites of Sun-like star formation, while massive stars form in dense hubs, at the junction of multiple filaments. The role of hub-filament configurations has not been discussed yet in relation to the birth environment of the solar system and to infer the origin of isotopic ratios of Short-Lived Radionuclides (SLR, such as $^{26}$Al) of Calcium-Aluminum-rich Inclusions (CAIs) observed in meteorites. In this work, we present simple analytical estimates of the impact of stellar feedback on the young solar system forming along a filament of a hub-filament system. We find that the host filament can shield the young solar system from the stellar feedback, both during the formation and evolution of stars (stellar outflow, wind, and radiation) and at the end of their life (supernovae). We show that the young solar system formed along a dense filament can be enriched with supernova ejecta (e.g., $^{26}$Al) during the formation timescale of CAIs. We also propose that the streamers recently observed around protostars may be channeling the SLR-rich material onto the young solar system. We conclude that considering hub-filament configurations as the birth environment of the Sun is important when deriving theoretical models explaining the observed properties of the solar system.

astro-ph.GA↗