MODELING THE LATE STAGE OF PLANETARY FORMATION:
AN N-BODY APPROACH
by Craig B. Agnor
M.S. Thesis in Physics
Miami University
August 1996
The late stage of solar system formation is characterized by the direct
accretion of the planets from hundreds of lunar sized planetesimals.
The gravitational interactions between the planetesimals perturb them
into crossing orbits resulting in collisions. A gravitational N-body
program has been developed to model the final stage of planetary
formation. This FORTRAN code integrates the orbits of the planetesimals
numerically using a fourth-order Hermite scheme with an individual
timestep which is adjusted independently in order to maintain the
accuracy of the simulation, and yet minimize the computation time.
Previous N-body results are in qualitative agreement with those
presented. Six simulations were performed that included a collision and
fragmentation model. It was found that fragmentation plays a minimal
role in
the late stage of planetary formation. Simulations of the formation of
the terrestrial planets in the presence of Jupiter are presented.
Results indicate that the gas giant planet has a significant effect on
the final stage of terrestrial planet development.
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