Institute for Advanced Study Astrophysics Seminar
Magnetized Models for the Formation of the Moon
The giant impact theory for the formation of the Moon suggests that a planetary impactor struck the proto-Earth in an oblique collision shortly after the formation of the solar system. This collision produces liquid and vapor debris, drawn from the proto-Earth and impactor. Some debris enters circumterrestrial orbits forming a "protolunar disk." In this talk, I will highlight a suite of numerical models using the Athena++ astrophysical magnetohydrodynamics framework that investigates (1) the potential dynamical role of magnetic fields in a Moon-forming giant impact scenario and (2) the early evolution of the protolunar disk. Our models demonstrate that magnetic fields could speed the evolution of the vapor component of the protolunar disk, while making Moon formation less efficient.