Collisions of inhomogeneous pre-planetesimals

Abstract

Context. In the framework of the coagulation scenario, kilometre-sized planetesimals form by subsequent collisions of pre-planetesimals of sizes from centimetre to hundreds of metres. Pre-planetesimals are fluffy, porous dust aggregates, which are inhomogeneous owing to their collisional history. Planetesimal growth can be prevented by catastrophic disruption in pre-planetesimal collisions above the destruction velocity threshold.