Do Proto-Jovian Planets Drive Outflows?

  • 2 December 1997
Abstract
We discuss the possibility that gaseous giant planets drive strong outflows during early phases of their formation. We consider the range of parameters appropriate for magneto-centrifugally driven stellar and disk outflow models and find that if the proto-Jovian planet or accretion disk had a magnetic field of >~ 10 Gauss and moderate mass inflow rates through the disk of less than 10^{-6} - 10^{-7} M_J/yr that it is possible to drive an outflow. Estimates based both on scaling from empirical laws observed in proto-stellar outflows and the magneto-centrigugal disk and stellar+disk wind models suggest that winds with mass outflow rates of 10^{-7} - 10^{-8} M_J/yr and velocities of order ~ 20 km/s could be driven from proto-Jovian planets. Prospects for detection and some implications for the formation of the solar system are briefly discussed.

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