Fall and fragmentation of liquid metal in a viscous fluid
Résumé
Simulations of the solar system formation as well as the diversity of meteorites chemical composition both point toward a scenario where the late stages of Earth-like planets accretion involved massive impacts of Mars size planets [1]. Due to the combination of the energy release during impact, to the intense radioactive decay of short-lived elements, and to the heat remaining from the conversion of potential energy required to form a planet, these planetary embryos were most likely molten for a large part [2]. This also means that they were differentiated in a liquid iron core covered by a molten silicate mantle, since these two main phases of terrestrial bodies are immiscible and of significantly different densities. Following each impact, a large-scale two-phase flow occurred as the molten iron of the impactor core flowed across the silicate magma ocean to merge with the planetary embryo core. Because of the immense inertia of the process, this flow was characterized by very high Reynolds and Weber numbers, hence prone to rapid fragmentation. The quantification of the exchanges of heat and elements in this dispersed flow is crucial to the knowledge of the initial state of telluric planets.
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