Indirect searches for planets (such as radial velocity studies)show that their formation may be quite common. The planets are however too small and faint to be seen against the glare of their host stars; therefore, their direct detectionis limited to the nearest systems. Alternatively one can study planets by studying their "by-product" -- dust. We see raw material available for planets around young stars, anddebris dust around old stars betraying planet-induced activity. Dust has a larger surface area per unit mass compared with a large body; it can be spread over a largersolid angle, intercepting more starlight and emitting much more lightvia reprocessing. By studying dusty disks we can infer the presence of planets at larger distances.Here we present results of a survey conducted with the SpitzerSpace Telescope of debrisdisks in three open clusters. With ages of 30--100 Myrs, these clusters are old enough that the primordialdust should have accreted into planetesimals, fallen onto the star, or been blown away due to a numberof physical processes. The dust we observe must come from collisions or sublimation of larger bodies.The purpose of this study is to investigate the dustevolution in the terrestrial planet zone, analogous to the Zodiacal cloud in our Solar system. We are most sensitive to this zone becausethe peak of a 125 K black body radiation falls into the primary pass-band of our survey -- 24 micron. We investigate the fraction and amount of the infra-red excesses around intermediate- to solar-mass stars in open stellar clusterswith well defined ages. The results are analyzed in the context of disk studies at other wavelengths and ages, providing an understanding of the time-scale for diskdissipation and ultimately planet building and frequency.

High precision measurements of Ti isotopes within terrestrial and extra-terrestrial materials were made in order to investigate the processes at work within the early solar system. Variations of Ti isotopes also enabled the investigation of the specific stellar sources that created the material that formed the solar system. Titanium was chosen as it is a refractory element, relatively resistant to secondary processes and found abundantly in all solar system materials. Measurements were performed using a Thermo Fischer Neptune MC-ICPMS at the Open University, Milton Keynes. Various samples of carbonaceous chondrites, ordinary chondrites, enstatite chondrites, achondrites, lunar, terrestrial and early solar system components were analysed. Mass independent measurements of various solar system materials revealed a correlation between ε50/47Ti49/47 and ε46/47Ti49/47 defining a best line with a slope of 5.34 ± 0.34. The correlation indicates that solar system materials contain nucleosynthetic components that match a SNII stellar source. Utilising aliquots previously analysed for Zr isotopes for Ti isotope analyses revealed a correlation between ε50/47Ti49/47 and ε96/90Zr94/90 for the carbonaceous chondrites that is controlled by the CAI content of the particular carbonaceous chondrite group. Step wise dissolution of ordinary chondrites and carbonaceous chondrites revealed multiple nucleosynthetic Ti components contributing to the solar system. Stepwise leachate dissolutions were conducted on the carbonaceous chondrites Allende, Murchison and Orgueil to compliment the study of the same samples for Zr by Schönbächler et al. (2005). In addition, sample aliquots of QUE 97008 and Murchison from the work of Qin et al. (2011) were also investigated for Ti. The two investigations allow the comparison of Ti in different phases to be compared with other isotope systems such as Zr (Schönbächler et al. 2005) and Cr, Sr, Ba, Sm, Nd and Hf (Qin et al. 2011).Mass dependent fractionation and absolute nucleosynthetic anomalies of Ti within solar system materials was determined by utilising the double spike procedure. Mass dependent analysis enabled the Stable isotope composition of terrestrial materials to be investigated, revealing mass dependent fractionation between terrestrial basalts and andesite’s. Utilising the double spike procedure also enabled the calculation of absolute nucleosynthetic anomalies for Ti within solar system materials. The absolute nucleosynthetic anomalies data revealed that CAI’s contain two different compositions with one representing an exotic stellar source and the other representing the mainstream solar system composition.

Le travail réalisé au cours de ma de thèse avait pour but de placer de nouvelles contraintes sur la composition du ou des précurseurs organiques présents dans la nébuleuse proto-solaire. Des expériences de thermodégradation ont été mises en place en utilisant des matériaux modèles riches en azote. La spectrométrie de masse à haute résolution (Orbitrap) à été utilisée afin de mieux caractériser les polymères de HCN, autre matériau modèle. Ce travail apporte de nouvelles informations sur la diversité moléculaire de tels matériaux, ainsi que de nouvelles informations sur leur structure. Les expériences de thermodégradation proprement dites ont ensuite été réalisées, afin de mieux comprendre le comportement de l'azote dans les matériaux organiques macromoléculaires, et ainsi apporter de nouvelles contraintes sur l'origine de la matière organique présente dans les différentes classes de cosmomatériaux (chondrites carbonées, IDPs et UCAMMs). Cette série d'expériences nous a permis de mettre en évidence une probable différence de précurseur entre la matière carbonée des IOMs et celle des IDPs et UCAMMs. / The aim of my PhD work was to add some new constraints on the organic precursors compositions in the early solar system. Thermal degradation experiments have been performed, using N-rich analog materials. High resolution mass spectrometry gives us the possibility to better characterize the HCN polymers another type of analog materials. This part of the study provides us new informations about the molecular diversity of HCN polymers and also new constraints on their structure. The thremal degradation experiments were then performed. The aim of this study was to provide some new constraints on the composition of the organic precursors present in the early solar system and incorporated in the different bodies (carbonaceous chondrites, IDPs, UCAMMs). We can conclude that the organic precursor of the IOMs was poor in nitrogen while the organic matter accreted by the parent bodies of IDPs and UCAMMs was probably nitrogen rich.

<p>The solar system that we live in today bears only a passing resemblance to the solar system that existed 4.5 billion years ago. As our young star shed the gas nebula from which it was born, a disk of dust and rocky bodies emerged in the space between the Sun and Jupiter. Over the next hundred million years, this planetary disk evolved and gave rise to the terrestrial planets of the inner solar system. Clues left behind during this early stage of evolution can be seen in the orbital architecture of the modern planets, the cratering records of rocky bodies, and the signatures of the solar system's secular modes. </p> <p><br></p> <p>Past works in the fields of terrestrial planet accretion and solar system evolution typically do not include collisional fragmentation. While the mechanics of collisional fragmentation are well studied, the incorporation of this processes into simulations of terrestrial planet formation is computationally expensive via traditional methods. For this reason, many works elect to exclude collisional fragmentation entirely, improving computational performance but neglecting a known process that could have played a significant role in the formation of the solar system. In this dissertation, I develop a collisional fragmentation algorithm, called Fraggle, and incorporate it into the n-body symplectic integrator Swiftest SyMBA. Along with performance enhancements and modern programming practices, Swiftest SyMBA with Fraggle is a powerful tool for simulating the formation and evolution of the inner solar system. </p> <p><br></p> <p>In this dissertation, I use Swiftest SyMBA} with Fraggle to study the effect of collisional fragmentation on the accretion and orbital architecture of the terrestrial planets, as well as the cratering record of early Mars. I show that collisional fragmentation is a significant process in the early solar system that creates a spatially heterogeneous and time-dependent population of collisional debris that fluctuates as the solar system evolves. This ever-changing population results in cratering records that are unique across the inner solar system. The work presented in this dissertation highlights the need for independent cratering chronologies to be established for all rocky bodies in the solar system, as well as the need for future models of solar system accretion to include the effects of collisional fragmentation. </p> <p><br></p> <p>While the cratering records and orbits of the terrestrial planets are two means by which to study the solar system's ancient past, analysis of the evolution of the secular modes of the solar system offers a third method. A secular mode arises due to the precession of the orbit of a planet over time. Each body's orbit precesses at a specific fundamental frequency, or mode, that has the power to shape the orbital architecture of the solar system. I show that jumps in the eccentricity of Mars can trigger short-lived power sharing relationships between secular modes, resulting in periods in which the strength and fundamental frequencies of modes fluctuates. While evidence of these past jumps in Mars' eccentricity would likely not be visible today in the secular modes of the inner solar system, the work presented in this dissertation poses additional questions. In particular, questions related to other possible triggers of power sharing relationships, as well as the effects of power sharing relationships on the stability of small bodies during these periods of fluctuation, are particularly compelling.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The work presented in this dissertation contributes to the fields of numerical modeling, solar system evolution, collisional fragmentation, martian cratering, and secular modes and resonances. As a whole, it explores avenues by which we can understand the very earliest period of our solar system's history and develops a model that will allow for continued research in this field. </p>

Orientador: Ernesto Vieira Neto / Resumo: O estudo da formação e evolução do Sistema Solar é uma fonte de informação para entender sob quais condições a vida poderia surgir e evoluir. Nós apresentamos, nesta Tese de doutorado, um estudo numérico da fase final de acresção dos planetas gigantes do Sistema Solar durante e após a fase do disco de gás protoplanetário. Em nossas simulações, utilizamos um modelo recente e confiável para a formação de Urano e Netuno para esculpir as propriedades do disco trans-Netuniano original (Izidoro et al. , 2015a). Nós fizemos este estudo de uma maneira autoconsistente considerando os efeitos do gás e da evolução dos embriões planetários que formam Urano e Netuno por colisões gigantescas. Consideramos diferentes histórias de migração de Júpiter, devido a incerteza de como Júpiter migrou, durante a fase de gás. As nossas simulações permitiram obter pela primeira vez as propriedades orbitais do disco trans-Netuniano original. Então, calculamos o tempo de instabilidade dos planetas gigantes a partir de sistemas planetários que formam similares Urano e Netuno. Nossos resultados indicam fortemente que a instabilidade dos planetas gigantes acontecem cedo em até 500 milhões de anos e mais provável ainda ter acontecido em 136 milhões de anos após a dissipação do gás. Nós também realizamos simulações para discutir alguns efeitos dinâmicos que acontecem na região do cinturão de Kuiper. Estes efeitos acontecem quando Netuno esteve em alta excentricidade durante a instabilidade planetária. Para es... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: A study of the formation and evolution of the Solar System is a source of information for an understanding of what conditions life could arise and evolve. We present a numerical study of the final stage of accretion of the giant planets of the Solar System during and after the protoplanetary gas disc phase. In our simulations, we use a recent and reliable model for the formation of Uranus and Neptune to sculpt the properties of the original trans-Neptunian disk (Izidoro et al. , 2015a). We have done this study in a self-consistent way considering the effects of gas and the evolution of planetary embryos which form Uranus and Neptune by mutual giant collisions. We considered different Jupiter migration stories due to the uncertainty of how Jupiter’s migration was during the gas phase. Our simulations provide for the first time to obtain the orbital properties of the original trans-Neptunian disk. We then calculate the instability time of the giant planets from planetary systems which form similar Uranus and Neptune. Our results strongly indicate that the instability of the giant planets occurs early within 500 million years and even more likely to happen at 136 million years after gas dissipation. We also perform simulations to discuss some dynamical effects that happen in the Kuiper belt region. These effects happen when Neptune was in high eccentricity during planetary instability. For this problem, we use the simulations performed by Gomes et al. (2018) who investigated the... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

The current paradigm in planet formation theory is developed around a hierarquical growth of solid bodies, from interstellar dust grains to rocky planetary cores. A particularly difficult phase in the process is the growth from meter-size boulders to planetary embryos of the size of our Moon or Mars. Objects of this size are expected to drift extremely rapid in a protoplanetary disk, so that they would generally fall into the central star well before larger bodies can form. In this thesis, we used numerical simulations to find a physical mechanism that may retain solids in some parts of protoplanetary disks long enough to allow for the formation of planetary embryos. We found that such accumulation can happen at the borders of so-called dead zones. These dead zones would be regions where the coupling to the ambient magnetic field is weaker and the turbulence is less strong, or maybe even absent in some cases. We show by hydrodynamical simulations that material accumulating between the turbulent active and dead regions would be trapped into vortices to effectively form planetary embryos of Moon to Mars mass. We also show that in disks that already formed a giant planet, solid matter accumulates on the edges of the gap the planet carves, as well as at the stable Lagrangian points. The concentration is strong enough for the solids to clump together and form smaller, rocky planets like Earth. Outside our solar system, some gas giant planets have been detected in the habitable zone of their stars. Their wakes may harbour rocky, Earth-size worlds.