Terrestrial planet formation with strong dynamical friction

We have performed 8 numerical simulations of the final stages of accretion of the terrestrial planets, each starting with over 5× more gravitationally interacting bodies than in any previous simulations. We use a bimodal initial population spanning the region from 0.3 to 4 AU with 25 roughly Mars-mass embryos and an equal mass of material in a population of ∼1000 smaller planetesimals, consistent with models of the oligarchic growth of protoplanetary embryos. Given the large number of small planetesimals in our simulations, we are able to more accurately treat the effects of dynamical friction during the accretion process. We find that dynamical friction can significantly lower the timescales for accretion of the terrestrial planets and leads to systems of terrestrial planets that are much less dynamically excited than in previous simulations with fewer initial bodies. In addition, we study the effects of the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn on the final planetary systems by running 4 of our simulations with the present, eccentric orbits of Jupiter and Saturn (the EJS simulations) and the other 4 using a nearly circular and co-planar Jupiter and Saturn as predicted in the Nice Model of the evolution of the outer Solar System [Gomes, R., Levison, H.F., Tsiganis, K., Morbidelli, A., 2005. Nature 435, 466–469; Tsiganis, K., Gomes, R., Morbidelli, A., Levison, H.F., 2005. Nature 435, 459–461; Morbidelli, A., Levison, H.F., Tsiganis, K., Gomes, R., 2005. Nature 435, 462–465] (the CJS simulations). Our EJS simulations provide a better match to our Solar System in terms of the number and average mass of the final planets and the mass-weighted mean semi-major axis of the final planetary systems, although increased dynamical friction can potentially improve the fit of the CJS simulations as well. However, we find that in our EJS simulations, essentially no water-bearing material from the outer asteroid belt ends up in the final terrestrial planets, while a large amount is delivered in the CJS simulations. In addition, the terrestrial planets in the EJS simulations receive a late veneer of material after the last giant impact event that is likely too massive to reconcile with the siderophile abundances in the Earth's mantle, while the late veneer in the CJS simulations is much more consistent with geochemical evidence.