Constraints on the pre-impact orbits of Solar System giant impactors

Abstract

We provide a fast method for computing constraints on impactor pre-impact orbits, applying this to the late giant impacts in the Solar System. These constraints can be used to make quick, broad comparisons of different collision scenarios, identifying some immediately as low-probability events, and narrowing the parameter space in which to target follow-up studies with expensive N-body simulations. We benchmark our parameter space predictions, finding good agreement with existing N-body studies for the Moon. We suggest that high-velocity impact scenarios in the inner Solar System, including all currently proposed single impact scenarios for the formation of Mercury, should be disfavoured. This leaves a multiple hit-and-run scenario as the most probable currently proposed for the formation of Mercury.

13 pages, 9 figures, accepted in MNRAS

References in corpus (8)

• Equilibration in the Aftermath of the Lunar-Forming Giant Impact
• Formation of Phobos and Deimos via a Giant Impact
• Multiple Impact Origin for the Moon
• Debris from giant impacts between planetary embryos at large orbital radii
• The Feeding Zones of Terrestrial Planets and Insights into Moon Formation
• Equilibrium Condensation from Chondritic Porous IDP Enriched Vapor: Implications for Mercury and Enstatite Chondrite Origins
• The Creation of Haumea's Collisional Family
• Dynamical Evolution of the Earth-Moon Progenitors - Whence Theia?

Cited by in corpus (15)

• Solar System Physics for Exoplanet Research
• Dynamical Constraints on Mercury's Collisional Origin
• Forming super-Mercuries: The role of stellar abundances
• Collision Chains among the Terrestrial Planets. III. Formation of the Moon
• Fate of the runner in hit-and-run collisions
• Dynamical avenues for Mercury's origin I: The lone survivor of a primordial generation of short-period proto-planets
• The Role of Giant Impacts in Planet Formation
• Dynamical avenues for Mercury's origin II: in-situ formation in the inner terrestrial disk
• The early instability scenario: Mars' mass explained by Jupiter's orbit
• Collision Chains among the Terrestrial Planets. II. An Asymmetry between Earth and Venus
• Explaining Mercury via a single giant impact is highly unlikely
• Can a jumping-Jupiter trigger the Moon's formation impact?
• Rethinking the role of the giant planet instability in terrestrial planet formation models
• Mercury's formation within the Early Instability Scenario
• Can narrow disks in the inner solar system explain the four terrestrial planets?