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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.12122 |
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| _version_ | 1866912375390601216 |
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| author | Liu, Wenshuai |
| author_facet | Liu, Wenshuai |
| contents | According to the giant impact theory, the Moon formed by accreting the circum-terrestrial debris disk produced by Theia colliding with the proto-Earth. The giant impact theory can explain most of the properties of the Earth-Moon system, however, simulations of giant impact between a planetary embryo and the growing proto-Earth indicate that the materials in the circum-terrestrial debris disk produced by the impact originate mainly from the impactor. Thus, the giant impact theory has difficulty explaining the Moon's Earth-like isotopic compositions. More materials from the proto-Earth could be delivered to the circum-terrestrial debris disk when a slightly sub-Mars-sized body collides with a fast rotating planet of rigid rotation but the resulting angular momentum is too large compared with that of the current Earth-Moon system. Since planetesimals accreted by the proto-Earth hit the surface of the proto-Earth, enhancing the rotation rate of the surface of the proto-Earth. The surface's fast rotation rate relative to the slow rotation rate of the inner region of the proto-Earth leads to transfer of angular momentum from surface to inner, resulting in the differential rotation. Here, we show that the giant impact of a sub-Mars-sized body on a differential rotating proto-Earth with a fast rotating outer region and a relative slow rotating inner region could result in a circum-terrestrial debris disk with materials predominately from the proto-Earth without violating the angular momentum constraint. The theory proposed here may provide a viable way of explaining the similarity in the isotopic compositions of the Earth and Moon. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_12122 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Origin of the Moon's Earth-like isotopic composition from giant impact on a differential rotating proto-Earth Liu, Wenshuai Earth and Planetary Astrophysics High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena According to the giant impact theory, the Moon formed by accreting the circum-terrestrial debris disk produced by Theia colliding with the proto-Earth. The giant impact theory can explain most of the properties of the Earth-Moon system, however, simulations of giant impact between a planetary embryo and the growing proto-Earth indicate that the materials in the circum-terrestrial debris disk produced by the impact originate mainly from the impactor. Thus, the giant impact theory has difficulty explaining the Moon's Earth-like isotopic compositions. More materials from the proto-Earth could be delivered to the circum-terrestrial debris disk when a slightly sub-Mars-sized body collides with a fast rotating planet of rigid rotation but the resulting angular momentum is too large compared with that of the current Earth-Moon system. Since planetesimals accreted by the proto-Earth hit the surface of the proto-Earth, enhancing the rotation rate of the surface of the proto-Earth. The surface's fast rotation rate relative to the slow rotation rate of the inner region of the proto-Earth leads to transfer of angular momentum from surface to inner, resulting in the differential rotation. Here, we show that the giant impact of a sub-Mars-sized body on a differential rotating proto-Earth with a fast rotating outer region and a relative slow rotating inner region could result in a circum-terrestrial debris disk with materials predominately from the proto-Earth without violating the angular momentum constraint. The theory proposed here may provide a viable way of explaining the similarity in the isotopic compositions of the Earth and Moon. |
| title | Origin of the Moon's Earth-like isotopic composition from giant impact on a differential rotating proto-Earth |
| topic | Earth and Planetary Astrophysics High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.12122 |