Princeton University Extrasolar Planet Discussion Group

In a protoplanetary disk, a sufficiently massive planet can excite a pressure bump, which in turn become a preferred location for the formation of a new planet core. This creates a feedback loop that quickly assembles multiple planet cores, and this feedback loop may be a crucial missing piece in current planet formation theories. In this talk, I will introduce the basic theory of the pressure-bump feedback loop and discuss how this process imprints distinct signatures on planetary architectures, which can be tested against observation. Our key prediction is a "uniformity dichotomy", where both low-mass planets and gas giants can be divided into two subpopulations with different levels of intra-system mass uniformity. This dichotomy is reflected in the observed exoplanet population, but has not been predicted by existing planet formation theories or population synthesis models. I will also discuss how pressure-bump planet formation may naturally explain the diverse architectures of both solar system and extrasolar planets, potentially unlocking a universal theory of planetary architectures.