Accretion of Gas Giants Constrained by the Tidal Barrier

After protoplanets have acquired sufficient mass to open partial gaps in their natal protostellar disks, residual gas continues diffuse onto horseshoe streamlines under effect of viscous dissipation, and meander out the planets' Hill sphere. Within sphere, intercept flow circumplanetary disks. The host stars' tidal perturbation induces a barrier across converging streamlines' interface. Viscous transfer angular momentum this determines rate diffusion from eventually accretion protoplanets. We carry series numerical simulations test influence on super thermal planets. In weakly protoplanets' steeply decreases with masses above limit. As growth timescale exceeds depletion time scale, reach asymptotic values comparable that Jupiter. relatively thick strongly exceed several times Two dimensional show such massive excite eccentricity nearby streamlines, destabilize orderly flow, substantially enhance barrier, elevate until disk is severely depleted. contrast, eccentric remain stable three simulations. Based upper falloff observe distribution known exoplanets, we suggest disks had low viscosity alpha sim 0.001, modest thickness H/R 0.03 0.05, limited minimum solar nebula model.