2013/02/26 by A. Izidoro, K. de Souza Torres, O. C. Winter +1 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Circumstellar habitable zone #Formation and evolution of the Solar System #Planet #Planetesimal #Scientific Research and Discoveries #Solar System #Terrestrial planet #Water source #Water vapor #astro-ph.EP
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0004-637x/767/1/54
Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal
arxiv created 2013/02/26 · openalex publication_date 2013/03/25 · arxiv updated 2015/06/12 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
One of the most important subjects of debate in the formation of the solar system is the origin of Earth's water. Comets have long been considered as the most likely source of the delivery of water to Earth. However, elemental and isotopic arguments suggest a very small contribution from these objects. Other sources have also been proposed, among which local adsorption of water vapor onto dust grains in the primordial nebula and delivery through planetesimals and planetary embryos have become more prominent. However, no sole source of water provides a satisfactory explanation for Earth's water as a whole. In view of that, using numerical simulations, we have developed a compound model incorporating both the principal endogenous and exogenous theories, and investigating their implications for terrestrial planet formation and water delivery. Comets are also considered in the final analysis, as it is likely that at least some of Earth's water has cometary origin. We analyze our results comparing two different water distribution models, and complement our study using the D/H ratio, finding possible relative contributions from each source and focusing on planets formed in the habitable zone. We find that the compound model plays an important role by showing greater advantage in the amount and time of water delivery in Earth-like planets.