The sintering region of icy dust aggregates in a protoplanetary nebula

Abstract

Icy grain aggregates are formed in the outer region of a protoplanetary nebula. The infall of these aggregates to the central star is due to gas drag, and their temperature increases as the infall proceeds. The icy molecules on the grain move to the neck where the grains get connected through sublimation and condensation of the molecules. This process is called sintering. As the sintering proceeds, the mechanical strength of the neck changes considerably, strongly affecting the collisional evolution of the aggregates. The timescale required for sintering is determined in this study, based on which the region where the sintering proceeds within a prescribed timescale is obtained. It is found that the region covers a substantial fraction of the protoplanetary nebula, and the location of the region depends on the temperature distribution inside the nebula. If the aggregate is stirred up and the temperature of the aggregate increases temporally, the sintering region spreads to the whole nebula. © 2011. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.