Mean Molecular Weight Gradients in Proto-Jupiter

Abstract:

The distribution of heavy elements in Jupiter cannot be directly measured, and must be inferred from structure models. Typically, structure models assume that Jupiter is fully convective with the heavy elements being uniformly distributed. However, in the case of layered-convection there is a gradient in the distribution of heavy elements which affects the temperature profile of the planet, and as a result also its derived composition. We simulate the formation of Jupiter and investigate whether mean molecular weight gradients that can lead to layered-convection are created. We show that planetesimal accretion naturally leads to compositional gradients in the region above the core. It is shown that after about 10^5 years the core of Jupiter is hot and is surrounded by layers that consist mostly heavy-elements but also some hydrogen and helium. As a result, Jupiter’s core mass is expected to be 2-5 M_Earth with no sharp transition between the core and the envelope. These findings are important for the interpretation of Juno data and for linking giant planet internal structure with origins.