Protostars and Planets VI, Heidelberg, July 15-20, 2013
Poster 2B095
Nanometer Contact Physics of Water Ice in Protoplanetary Disks, Breakup, Twisting and Rolling
Aumatell, Guillem (Universität Duisburg-Essen)
Wurm, Gerhard (Universität Duisburg-Essen)
Abstract:
The formation of planetary bodies is not yet fully understood. Beyond the snow line in protplanetary disks, volatile components like water condense to solid state. The interaction between these solid particles can cause the formation of larger objects due to aggregation at low velocities, or sometimes -depending on the conditions- their own destruction [1,2] .
Water ice has been detected in protoplanetary disks [3,4] and in order to understand its role in the formation of icy bodies like icy planets, asteroids and comets, we carried out laboratory experiments. Water ice aggregates have been formed from frozen liquid water droplets at ~ 190 K. Droplets are smaller than 20 µm in radius and show a well defined size distribution. At pressure between 0.1 - 1 mbar and temperatures about 200 K, several effects like sublimation, twisting, rolling and breakup have been observed and measured. By the quantification of parameters like mass, acceleration after breakup and aggregate size and structure, the adhesion force that exist in the contact area between the aggregates\' monomers, and other parameters, can be determined
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