In 2018, images were released of a planet being formed around the star PDS 70, offering a
tantalizing glimpse into how planets come into being. However, many questions remain …

Planetesimals are born fragile and are subject to destruction by wind erosion as they move
through the gas of a protoplanetary disk. In microgravity experiments, we determined the …

We consider the possibility that aeolian (wind blown) processes occur on small, 1 to 100 km
diameter, planetesimals when they were embedded in the protosolar nebula. Drag from a …

Context. The initial particle growth in protoplanetary disks is limited by a bouncing barrier at
submillimeter wavelengths. Bouncing leads to tribocharging and the electrostatic attraction …

Aeolian erosion is a destructive process that can erode small-size planetary objects through
their interaction with a gaseous environment. Aeolian erosion operates in a wide range of …

Context. Many barriers prevent dust from forming planetesimals via coagulation in
protoplanetary discs, such as bouncing, collisional fragmentation, or aeolian erosion …

It is a long-standing open question whether electrification of wind-blown sand due to
tribocharging—the generation of electric charges on the surface of sand grains by particle …

Planetesimals or smaller bodies in protoplanetary discs are often considered to form as
pebble piles in current planet formation models. They are supposed to be large but loose …

The formation of the first planetesimals and the final growth of planetary cores relies on the
abundance of small pebbles. The efficiencies of both the streaming instability (SI) process …

Context. In protoplanetary disks, particle–gas interactions are a key part of the early stages
of pre-planetary evolution. As dust particles grow into porous aggregates, treating drag …