Submillimetre-sized dust aggregate collision and growth properties

Abstract

Context. In the very first steps of the formation of a new planetary system, dust agglomerates grow inside the protoplanetary disk that rotates around the newly formed star. In this disk, collisions between the dust particles, induced by interactions with the surrounding gas, lead to sticking. Aggregates start growing until their sizes and relative velocities are high enough for collisions to result in bouncing or fragmentation. With the aim of investigating the transitions between sticking and bouncing regimes for colliding dust aggregates and the formation of clusters from multiple aggregates, the Suborbital Particle and Aggregation Experiment (SPACE) was flown on the REXUS 12 suborbital rocket.