Scientists have been looking towards the stars recently with the interest of finding Earth-like planets outside of our system, yet we have very little understanding of the planet formation process. A system of partial differential equations modeling the gas around a proto-star can be solved to find steady solutions where off-core local extrema form in the density. The off-core local extrema I found demonstrates the early formation of planets through gas accretion around these extrema in the steady state solution.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Dowling, Peter William

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-043014-130739

Advisor

• Humi, Mayer

Year

• 2014

Date created

• 2014-04-30

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Mathematical Sciences

Rights statement

• In Copyright