Special Astrophysics Seminar

In the giant impact model the Moon forms in the aftermath of an off-center collision between a planetary-size body and the proto-Earth. The collision leaves a ring of solid, liquid, and vapor in orbit around the Earth, andthis proto-lunar disk eventually cools and coalesces to form the Moon. The giant impact model successfully explains key features of the Earth-Moon system, including its high specific angular moment and the low lunar iron abundance. It has trouble explaining the startling isotopic similarity between the Earth and the Moon, which has led to the so-called isotope crisis. I will describe a program of numerical experiments that aims to evaluate the partitioning of impactor material between the proto-Earth and proto-lunar disk, as well as the effect of numerical parameters, equation of state, and magnetic fields on the outcome.