High Resolution Simulations of the Moon-Forming Giant Impact

Charles Gammie, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Usage Details

The Earth’s Moon is believed to have formed from the off-center collision of a Mars-sized or larger body with the proto-Earth shortly after the formation of the solar system.   The collision melted the mantle and lofted a ring of solid, liquid, and vaporized rock into orbit around the Earth (the “protolunar disk”) that eventually condensed to form the Moon.   We propose exploratory calculations that will lead to modern simulations of the collision with highest-ever linear resolution.  We plan to test whether magnetic coupling in the impactor, the proto-Earth, and the protolunar disk can affect the outcome. Our models will also resolve the protolunar disk, assess the vapor fraction in the aftermath of the collision, and estimate the partitioning of impactor material into the protolunar disk and Earth.  We will use our own branch of the well-tested, efficient, and scalable code athena++.