Related papers: Binary Formation in Planetesimal Disks I. Equal Ma…

We present results from a suite of N-body simulations that follow the accretion history of the terrestrial planets using a new parallel treecode that we have developed. We initially place 2000 equal size planetesimals between 0.5--4.0 AU…

Planetary embryos are built through the collisional growth of 10-100 km sized objects called planetesimals, a formerly large population of objects, of which asteroids, comets and Kuiper-Belt objects represent the leftovers from planet…

Planets are built from planetesimals: solids larger than a kilometer which grow by colliding pairwise. Planetesimals themselves are unlikely to form by two-body collisions; sub-km objects have gravitational fields individually too weak, and…

In the past decade, the number of known binary near-Earth asteroids has more than quadrupled and the number of known large main belt asteroids with satellites has doubled. Half a dozen triple asteroids have been discovered, and the…

Numerical simulations of planetesimal accretion in circumprimary and circumbinary orbits are described. The secular perturbations by the com- panion star and gas drag are included in our models. We derive limits on the parameters of the…

We present several lines of evidence based on different kinds of observations to conclude that rotational fission has likely occurred for a fraction of the known Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs). It is also likely that a number of binary…

Many recent observational studies have concluded that planetary systems commonly exist in multiple-star systems. At least ~20% of the known extrasolar planetary systems are associated with one or more stellar companions. The orbits of…

Circumstellar disks in binaries are perturbed by the companion gravity causing significant alterations of the disk morphology. Spiral waves due to the companion tidal force also develop in the vertical direction and affect the disk…

Most massive stars are found in the center of dense clusters, and have a companion fraction much higher than their lower mass siblings; the massive stars of the Trapezium core in Orion have ~ 1.5 companions each. This high multiplicity…

The surface characterization of Trans-Neptunian Binaries (TNBs) is key to understanding the properties of the disk of planetesimals from which these objects formed. In the optical wavelengths, it has been demonstrated that most equal-sized…

We numerically explore planet formation around alpha Cen A by focusing on the crucial planetesimals-to-embryos phase. Our code computes the relative velocity distribution, and thus the accretion vs. fragmentation trend, of planetesimal…

Many recent observational studies have concluded that planetary systems commonly exist in multiple-star systems. At least ~20%, and presumably a larger fraction of the known extrasolar planetary systems are associated with one or more…

The complex classification of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) that are captured in mean-motion resonances (MMRs) and the constraint of their multiple origins are two significant open problems concerning the Solar System. The case-by-case…

The cores of wide-orbit giant planets can form via pebble accretion if large planetesimals form in the outer regions of protoplanetary discs at sufficiently early times. Streaming instability simulations support mass distributions…

The standard model of planet formation considers an initial phase in which planetesimals form from a dust disk, followed by a phase of mutual planetesimal-planetesimal collisions, leading eventually to the formation of planetary embryos.…

In the incremental growth model, planetesimal formation constitutes the least understood step in the process of planetary formation. The two main difficulties in this regard are the collision/fragmentation and the drift barriers. Numerous…

Roughly half of Sun-like stars have at least one stellar companion, whereas it is widely assumed that most known exoplanets orbit single stars, largely due to observational biases. However, astrometric surveys, direct imaging, and speckle…

The discovery of planetary systems beyond our solar system has challenged established theories of planetary formation. Planetary orbits display a variety of unexpected architectures, and free-floating planets appear ubiquitous. The recent…

We examine the formation of planets around binary stars in light of the recently discovered systems Kepler 16, 34 and 35. We conduct hydrodynamical simulations of self gravitating disks around binary systems. The selected binary and disk…

Binary solar system objects are common and range from satellite systems with very large mass ratios $M_1/M_2$ to mass ratios very close to unity. A well-known example of a binary is the Pluto-Charon system. With Charon only eight times less…