[asa] Privileged Solar System?

A study published in tomorrow's Science shows that our Solar System may be
more special than thought after all.

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/321/5890/814

Gas Disks to Gas Giants: Simulating the Birth of Planetary Systems

Edward W. Thommes,1,2* Soko Matsumura,2 Frederic A. Rasio2 The ensemble of
now more than 250 discovered planetary systems displays a wide range of
masses, orbits and, in multiple systems, dynamical interactions. These
represent the end point of a complex sequence of events, wherein an entire
protostellar disk converts itself into a small number of planetary bodies.
Here, we present self-consistent numerical simulations of this process,
which produce results in agreement with some of the key trends observed in
the properties of the exoplanets. *Analogs to our own solar system do not
appear to be common, originating from disks near the boundary between barren
and (giant) planet-forming.*

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Received on Thu Aug 7 16:24:12 2008