From: gdpusch@NO.xnet.SPAM.com   
   Copy: trakar@sbcglobal.net   
      
   Trakar  writes:   
      
   > On 03 Oct 2003 11:49:06 -0500, gdpusch@NO.xnet.SPAM.com (Gordon D.   
   > Pusch) wrote:   
   >   
   >> Gas-giant planets and "terrestrial" planest are believed to form by   
   >> different physical mechanisms. "Terrestrial" planets are believed   
   >> to form by collisional accretion of "planetesimals," whereas "gas giant"   
   >> planets are believed to form by accretion from a sub-disk embedded within   
   >> the main protoplanetary disk that itself resembles a "mini solar system."   
   >   
   > Could you reference a good site (web, book, or paper) on this for me?   
   > I was under the general impression that it was a similar process, that   
   > it was just a matter of there being greater gasseous material to   
   > accumulate in the region of gas-giant formation.   
      
   Do a Google search on "gas-giant formation" and you will pull up   
   approximately 9340 references. You can further specialize your search   
   by adding the keywords for the two competing gas-giant formation models:   
   "runaway core accretion" or "disk instability;" the latter "disk" model   
   is the "mini solar-system" model I referred to.   
      
   (The "disk instability" model has been gaining support over the older   
   "runaway core accretion" model, since the core accretion model does not   
   appear to be able to form a giant planet fast enough to beat the ignition   
   and "T-tauri phase" of the system's protostar. The "T tauri" phase produces   
   Very strong stellar winds that blow away most of the gas remaining in the   
   protoplanetary disk, terminating gas accretion onto the giant planets.)   
      
      
   -- Gordon D. Pusch   
      
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