Maximal size of chondrules in shock wave heating model: Stripping of liquid surface in a hypersonic rarefied gas flow

Abstract

Abstract— We examined partially molten dust particles that have a solid core and a surrounding liquid mantle, and estimated the maximal size of chondrules in a framework of the shock wave heating model for chondrule formation. First, we examined the dynamics of the liquid mantle by analytically solving the hydrodynamics equations for a core‐mantle structure via a linear approximation. We obtained the deformation, internal flow, pressure distribution in the liquid mantle, and the force acting on the solid core. Using these results, we estimated conditions in which liquid mantle is stripped off from the solid core. We found that when the particle radius is larger than about 1–2 mm, the stripping is expected to take place before the entire dust particle melts. So chondrules larger than about 1–2 mm are not likely to be formed by the shock wave heating mechanism. Also, we found that the stripping of the liquid mantle is more likely to occur than the fission of totally molten particles. Therefore, the maximal size of chondrules may be determined by the stripping of the liquid mantle from the partially molten dust particles in the shock waves. This maximal size is consistent with the sizes of natural chondrules.