Growth Of Planetesimals Research Articles

Linking planetesimal and dust content in protoplanetary disks via a local toy model

Context. If planetesimal formation is an efficient process, as suggested by several models involving gravitational collapse of pebble clouds, then, not before long, a significant part of the primordial dust mass should be absorbed in many km-sized objects. A good understanding of the total amount of solids in the disk around a young star is crucial for planet formation theory. However, as the mass of particles above the mm size cannot be assessed observationally, one must ask how much mass is hidden in bigger objects. Aims. We performed 0-d local simulations to study how the planetesimal to dust and pebble ratio evolves in time and to develop an understanding of the potentially existing mass in planetesimals for a certain amount of dust and pebbles at a given disk age. Methods. We performed a parameter study based on a model considering dust growth, planetesimal formation, and collisional fragmentation of planetesimals, while neglecting radial transport processes. Results. While at early times, dust is the dominant solid particle species, there is a phase during which planetesimals make up a significant portion of the total mass starting at approximately 104–106 yr. The time of this phase and the maximal total planetesimal mass strongly depend on the distance to the star R, the initial disk mass, and the efficiency of planetesimal formation ɛ. Planetesimal collisions are more significant in more massive disks, leading to lower relative planetesimal fractions compared to less massive disks. After approximately 106 yr, our model predicts planetesimal collisions to dominate, which resupplies small particles. Conclusions. In our model, planetesimals form fast and everywhere in the disk. For a given ɛ, we are able to relate the dust content and mass of a given disk to its planetesimal content, providing us with some helpful basic intuition about mass distribution of solids and its dependence on underlying physical processes.

Planet seeding through gas-assisted capture of interstellar objects

Planet formation begins with collisional growth of small planetesimals accumulating into larger ones. Such growth occurs while planetesimals are embedded in a gaseous protoplanetary disc. However, small-planetesimals experience collisions and gas-drag that lead to their destruction on short timescales, not allowing, or requiring fine tuned conditions for the efficient growth of $\sim$ metre-size objects. Here we show that $\sim10^{4}$ interstellar objects such as the recently detected 1I/2017-U1 ('Oumuamua) could have been captured, and become part of the young Solar System, together with up to hundreds of $\sim$ km sized ones. The capture rates are robust even for conservative assumptions on the protoplanetary disc structure, local stellar environment and planetesimal ISM density. 'Seeding' of such planetesimals then catalyze further planetary growth into planetary embryos, and potentially alleviate the main-challenges with the meter-size growth-"barrier". The capture model is in synergy with the current leading planet formation theories, providing the missing link to the first planetesimals. Moreover, planetesimal capture provides a far more efficient route for lithopanspermia than previously thought.

Growth after the streaming instability

Context. Streaming instability is a key mechanism in planet formation, clustering pebbles into planetesimals with the help of self-gravity. It is triggered at a particular disk location where the local volume density of solids exceeds that of the gas. After their formation, planetesimals can grow into protoplanets by feeding from other planetesimals in the birth ring as well as by accreting inwardly drifting pebbles from the outer disk. Aims. We aim to investigate the growth of planetesimals into protoplanets at a single location through streaming instability. For a solar-mass star, we test the conditions under which super-Earths are able to form within the lifetime of the gaseous disk. Methods. We modified the Mercury N-body code to trace the growth and dynamical evolution of a swarm of planetesimals at a distance of 2.7 AU from the star. The code simulates gravitational interactions and collisions among planetesimals, gas drag, type I torque, and pebble accretion. Three distributions of planetesimal sizes were investigated: (i) a mono-dispersed population of 400 km radius planetesimals, (ii) a poly-dispersed population of planetesimals from 200 km up to 1000 km, (iii) a bimodal distribution with a single runaway body and a swarm of smaller, 100 km size planetesimals. Results. The mono-dispersed population of 400 km size planetesimals cannot form protoplanets of a mass greater than that of the Earth. Their eccentricities and inclinations are quickly excited, which suppresses both planetesimal accretion and pebble accretion. Planets can form from the poly-dispersed and bimodal distributions. In these circumstances, it is the two-component nature that damps the random velocity of the large embryo through the dynamical friction of small planetesimals, allowing the embryo to accrete pebbles efficiently when it approaches 10−2 M⊕. Accounting for migration, close-in super-Earth planets form. Super-Earth planets are likely to form when the pebble mass flux is higher, the disk turbulence is lower, or the Stokes number of the pebbles is higher. Conclusions. For the single site planetesimal formation scenario, a two-component mass distribution with a large embryo and small planetesimals promotes planet growth, first by planetesimal accretion and then by pebble accretion of the most massive protoplanet. Planetesimal formation at single locations such as ice lines naturally leads to super-Earth planets by the combined mechanisms of planetesimal accretion and pebble accretion.

Feedstocks of the Terrestrial Planets

The processes of planet formation in our Solar System resulted in a final product of a small number of discreet planets and planetesimals characterized by clear compositional distinctions. A key advance on this subject was provided when nucleosynthetic isotopic variability was discovered between different meteorite groups and the terrestrial planets. This information has now been coupled with theoretical models of planetesimal growth and giant planet migration to better understand the nature of the materials accumulated into the terrestrial planets. First order conclusions include that carbonaceous chondrites appear to contribute a much smaller mass fraction to the terrestrial planets than previously suspected, that gas-driven giant planet migration could have pushed volatile-rich material into the inner Solar System, and that planetesimal formation was occurring on a sufficiently rapid time scale that global melting of asteroid-sized objects was instigated by radioactive decay of 26Al. The isotopic evidence highlights the important role of enstatite chondrites, or something with their mix of nucleosynthetic components, as feedstock for the terrestrial planets. A common degree of depletion of moderately volatile elements in the terrestrial planets points to a mechanism that can effectively separate volatile and refractory elements over a spatial scale the size of the whole inner Solar System. The large variability in iron to silicon ratios between both different meteorite groups and between the terrestrial planets suggests that mechanisms that can segregate iron metal from silicate should be given greater importance in future investigations. Such processes likely include both density separation of small grains in the nebula, but also preferential impact erosion of either the mantle or core from differentiated planets/planetesimals. The latter highlights the important role for giant impacts and collisional erosion during the late stages of planet formation.

Small-N collisional dynamics – IV. Order in the realm of not-so-small-N

In this paper, the fourth in the series, we continue our study of combinatorics in chaotic Newtonian dynamics. We focus once again on the chaotic four-body problem in Newtonian gravity assuming finite-sized particles, and interactions that produce direct collisions between any two particles. Our long-term goal is to predict the probability of a given collision event occurring over the course of an interaction, as a function of the numbers and properties of the particles. In previous papers, we varied the number of interacting particles, as well as the distributions of particle radii and masses. Here, we refine the methods developed in these preceding studies, and arrive at a final and robust methodology that can be used to study collisional dynamics in a variety of astrophysical contexts, ranging from stars in star clusters, galaxies in galaxy groups and clusters and even the collisional growth of planetesimals in protoplanetary disks. We further present and refine the concept of a Collision Rate Diagram (CRD), the primary tool we use to quantify the relative rates for different collision scenarios to occur. The agreement between our final theoretical model and the results of numerical scattering simulations is excellent.

On the Numerical Robustness of the Streaming Instability: Particle Concentration and Gas Dynamics in Protoplanetary Disks

Abstract The streaming instability (SI) is a mechanism to concentrate solids in protoplanetary disks. Nonlinear particle clumping from the SI can trigger gravitational collapse into planetesimals. To better understand the numerical robustness of the SI, we perform a suite of vertically stratified 3D simulations with fixed physical parameters known to produce strong clumping. We vary the numerical implementation, namely, the computational domain size and the vertical boundary conditions (vBCs), comparing newly implemented outflow vBCs to the previously used periodic and reflecting vBCs. We find strong particle clumping by the SI is mostly independent of the vBCs. However, peak particle densities are higher in larger simulation domains due to a larger particle mass reservoir. We report SI-triggered zonal flows, i.e., azimuthally banded radial variations of gas pressure. These structures have low amplitudes, insufficient to halt particle radial drift, confirming that particle trapping in gas pressure maxima is not the mechanism of the SI. We find that outflow vBCs produce artificially large gas outflow rates at vertical boundaries. However, the outflow vBCs reduce artificial reflections at vertical boundaries, allowing more particle sedimentation, and showing less temporal variation and better convergence with box size. The radial spacing of dense particle filaments is ∼0.15 gas scale heights (H) for all vBCs, which sets the feeding zone for planetesimal growth in self-gravitating simulations. Our results validate the use of the outflow vBCs in SI simulations, even with vertical boundaries close (≤0.4H) to the disk midplane. Overall, our study demonstrates the numerical robustness of nonlinear particle clumping by the SI.

Magnesium isotope evidence that accretional vapour loss shapes planetary compositions.

It has long been recognised that Earth and other differentiated planetary bodies are chemically fractionated compared to primitive, chondritic meteorites and by inference the primordial disk from which they formed. An important question has been whether the notable volatile depletions of planetary bodies are a consequence of accretion1, or inherited from prior nebular fractionation2. The isotopic compositions of the main constituents of planetary bodies can contribute to this debate3–6. Using a new analytical approach to address key issues of accuracy inherent in conventional methods, we show that all differentiated bodies have isotopically heavier magnesium compositions than chondritic meteorites. We argue that possible magnesium isotope fractionation during condensation of the solar nebula, core formation and silicate differentiation cannot explain these observations. However, isotopic fractionation between liquid and vapour followed by vapour escape during accretionary growth of planetesimals generates appropriate residual compositions. Our modelling implies that the isotopic compositions of Mg, Si and Fe and the relative abundances of the major elements of Earth, and other planetary bodies, are a natural consequence of substantial (~40% by mass) vapour loss from growing planetesimals by this mechanism.

Geochemistry: Evaporating planetesimals.

In comparison to primitive, chondritic meteorites, which are widely thought to be the building blocks of Earth, Earth and other differentiated planetary bodies are chemically fractionated, with Earth's crust and mantlethe 'silicate Earth'being strongly depleted in moderately volatile elements (such as lead, zinc, indium and the alkali metals). Two papers in this week's issue suggest that this difference in composition between chondritic meteorites and Earth could be a natural consequence of vapour loss from magma on the surface of growing planetesimals. Ashley Norris and Bernard Wood examined the melting processes that would have occurred during accretion on Earth and its precursor bodies and performed vaporization experiments under conditions of fixed temperature and oxygen partial pressure. They found that the pattern of volatile-element depletion in the silicate Earth is consistent with partial melting and vaporization rather than with simple accretion of a volatile-rich chondrite-like body. Remco Hin and co-authors show that differentiated planetary bodies have isotopically heavier magnesium compositions compared to chondritic meteorites, and conclude that this could be due to the isotopic fractionation between liquid and vapour, followed by vapour escape during accretionary growth of planetesimals.

What Sets the Radial Locations of Warm Debris Disks?

Abstract The architectures of debris disks encode the history of planet formation in these systems. Studies of debris disks via their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) have found infrared excesses arising from cold dust, warm dust, or a combination of the two. The cold outer belts of many systems have been imaged, facilitating their study in great detail. Far less is known about the warm components, including the origin of the dust. The regularity of the disk temperatures indicates an underlying structure that may be linked to the water snow line. If the dust is generated from collisions in an exo-asteroid belt, the dust will likely trace the location of the water snow line in the primordial protoplanetary disk where planetesimal growth was enhanced. If instead the warm dust arises from the inward transport from a reservoir of icy material farther out in the system, the dust location is expected to be set by the current snow line. We analyze the SEDs of a large sample of debris disks with warm components. We find that warm components in single-component systems (those without detectable cold components) follow the primordial snow line rather than the current snow line, so they likely arise from exo-asteroid belts. While the locations of many warm components in two-component systems are also consistent with the primordial snow line, there is more diversity among these systems, suggesting additional effects play a role.

Simulations of small solid accretion on to planetesimals in the presence of gas

The growth and migration of planetesimals in a young protoplanetary disc are fundamental to planet formation. In all models of early growth, there are several processes that can inhibit grains from reaching larger sizes. Nevertheless, observations suggest that growth of planetesimals must be rapid. If a small number of 100 km sized planetesimals do manage to form in the disc, then gas drag effects could enable them to efficiently accrete small solids from beyond their gravitationally focused cross-section. This gas drag-enhanced accretion can allow planetesimals to grow at rapid rates, in principle. We present self-consistent hydrodynamics simulations with direct particle integration and gas drag coupling to estimate the rate of planetesimal growth due to pebble accretion. Wind tunnel simulations are used to explore a range of particle sizes and disc conditions. We also explore analytic estimates of planetesimal growth and numerically integrate planetesimal drift due to the accretion of small solids. Our results show that, for almost every case that we consider, there is a clearly preferred particle size for accretion that depends on the properties of the accreting planetesimal and the local disc conditions. For solids much smaller than the preferred particle size, accretion rates are significantly reduced as the particles are entrained in the gas and flow around the planetesimal. Solids much larger than the preferred size accrete at rates consistent with gravitational focusing. Our analytic estimates for pebble accretion highlight the timescales that are needed for the growth of large objects under different disc conditions and initial planetesimal sizes.

A Three-dimensional View of Turbulence: Constraints on Turbulent Motions in the HD 163296 Protoplanetary Disk Using DCO+

Abstract Gas kinematics are an important part of the planet formation process. Turbulence influences planetesimal growth and migration from the scale of submicron dust grains through gas-giant planets. Radio observations of resolved molecular line emission can directly measure this non-thermal motion and, taking advantage of the layered chemical structure of disks, different molecular lines can be combined to map the turbulence throughout the vertical extent of a protoplanetary disk. Here we present ALMA observations of three molecules (DCO+(3-2), C18O(2-1) and CO(2-1)) from the disk around HD 163296. We are able to place stringent upper limits (v turb < 0.06c s , <0.05c s , and <0.04c s for CO(2-1), C18O(2-1), and DCO+(3-2) respectively), corresponding to α ≲ 3 × 10−3, similar to our prior limit derived from CO(3-2). This indicates that there is little turbulence throughout the vertical extent of the disk, contrary to theoretical predictions based on the magnetorotational instability and gravitoturbulence. In modeling the DCO+ emission, we also find that it is confined to three concentric rings at 65.7 ± 0.9 au, , and 259 ± 1 au, indicative of a complex chemical environment.

Giant ripples on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko sculpted by sunset thermal wind

Explaining the unexpected presence of dune-like patterns at the surface of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko requires conceptual and quantitative advances in the understanding of surface and outgassing processes. We show here that vapor flow emitted by the comet around its perihelion spreads laterally in a surface layer, due to the strong pressure difference between zones illuminated by sunlight and those in shadow. For such thermal winds to be dense enough to transport grains-10 times greater than previous estimates-outgassing must take place through a surface porous granular layer, and that layer must be composed of grains whose roughness lowers cohesion consistently with contact mechanics. The linear stability analysis of the problem, entirely tested against laboratory experiments, quantitatively predicts the emergence of bedforms in the observed wavelength range and their propagation at the scale of a comet revolution. Although generated by a rarefied atmosphere, they are paradoxically analogous to ripples emerging on granular beds submitted to viscous shear flows. This quantitative agreement shows that our understanding of the coupling between hydrodynamics and sediment transport is able to account for bedform emergence in extreme conditions and provides a reliable tool to predict the erosion and accretion processes controlling the evolution of small solar system bodies.

FU Orionis outbursts, preferential recondensation of water ice, and the formation of giant planets

Ices, including water ice, prefer to recondense onto pre-existing nuclei rather than spontaneously forming grains from a cloud of vapor. Interestingly, different potential recondensation nuclei have very different propensities to actually nucleate water ice at the temperatures associated with freeze-out in protoplanetary discs. Therefore, if a region in a disc is warmed and then recooled, water vapor should not be expected to refreeze evenly onto all available grains. Instead it will preferentially recondense onto the most favorable grains. When the recooling is slow enough, only the most favorable grains will nucleate ice, allowing them to recondense thick ice mantles. We quantify the conditions for preferential recondensation to rapidly create pebble-sized grains in protoplanetary discs and show that FU Orionis type outbursts have the appropriate cooling rates to drive pebble creation in a band about 5 astronomical units wide outside of the quiescent frost line from approximately Jupiter's orbit to Saturn's (about 4 to 10 au). Those pebbles could be of the appropriate size to proceed to planetesimal formation via the Streaming Instability, or to contribute to the growth of planetesimals through pebble accretion. We suggest that this phenomenon contributed to the formation of the gas giants in our own Solar System.

Challenges in planet formation

AbstractOver the past two decades, large strides have been made in the field of planet formation. Yet fundamental questions remain. Here we review our state of understanding of five fundamental bottlenecks in planet formation. These are the following: (1) the structure and evolution of protoplanetary disks; (2) the growth of the first planetesimals; (3) orbital migration driven by interactions between protoplanets and gaseous disk; (4) the origin of the Solar System's orbital architecture; and (5) the relationship between observed super‐Earths and our own terrestrial planets. Given our lack of understanding of these issues, even the most successful formation models remain on shaky ground.

Formation, Orbital and Internal Evolutions of Young Planetary Systems

The growing body of observational data on extrasolar planets and protoplanetary disks has stimulated intense research on planet formation and evolution in the past few years. The extremely diverse, sometimes unexpected physical and orbital characteristics of exoplanets lead to frequent updates on the mainstream scenarios for planet formation and evolution, but also to the exploration of alternative avenues. The aim of this review is to bring together classical pictures and new ideas on the formation, orbital and internal evolutions of planets, highlighting the key role of the protoplanetary disk in the various parts of the theory. We begin by briefly reviewing the conventional mechanism of core accretion by the growth of planetesimals, and discuss a relatively recent model of core growth through the accretion of pebbles. We review the basic physics of planet-disk interactions, recent progress in this area, and discuss their role in observed planetary systems. We address the most important effects of planets internal evolution, like cooling and contraction, the mass-luminosity relation, and the bulk composition expressed in the mass-radius and mass-mean density relations.

Modelling circumbinary protoplanetary disks

Aims. We investigate the feasibility of planetesimal growth in circumbinary protoplanetary disks around the observed systems Kepler- 16 and Kepler-34 under the gravitational influence of a precessing eccentric gas disk. Methods. We embed the results of our previous hydrodynamical simulations of protoplanetary disks around binaries into an N-body code to perform 3D, high-resolution, inter-particle gravity-enabled simulations of planetesimal growth and dynamics that include the gravitational force imparted by the gas. Results. Including the full, precessing asymmetric gas disk generates high eccentricity orbits for planetesimals orbiting at the edge of the circumbinary cavity, where the gas surface density and eccentricity have their largest values. The gas disk is able to efficiently align planetesimal pericenters in some regions leading to phased, non-interacting orbits. Outside of these areas eccentric planetesimal orbits become misaligned and overlap leading to crossing orbits and high relative velocities during planetesimal collisions. This can lead to an increase in the number of erosive collisions that far outweighs the number of collisions that result in growth. Gravitational focusing from the static axisymmetric gas disk is weak and does not significantly alter collision outcomes from the gas free case. Conclusions. Due to asymmetries in the gas disk, planetesimals are strongly perturbed onto highly eccentric orbits. Where planetesimals orbits are not well aligned, orbit crossings lead to an increase in the number of erosive collisions. This makes it difficult for sustained planetesimal accretion to occur at the location of Kepler-16b and Kepler-34b and we therefore rule out in-situ growth. This adds further support to our initial suggestions that most circumbinary planets should form further out in the disk and migrate inwards.

APPLICATION OF GAS DYNAMICAL FRICTION FOR PLANETESIMALS. II. EVOLUTION OF BINARY PLANETESIMALS

ABSTRACT One of the first stages of planet formation is the growth of small planetesimals and their accumulation into large planetesimals and planetary embryos. This early stage occurs long before the dispersal of most of the gas from the protoplanetary disk. At this stage gas–planetesimal interactions play a key role in the dynamical evolution of single intermediate-mass planetesimals (m p ∼ 1021–1025 g) through gas dynamical friction (GDF). A significant fraction of all solar system planetesimals (asteroids and Kuiper-belt objects) are known to be binary planetesimals (BPs). Here, we explore the effects of GDF on the evolution of BPs embedded in a gaseous disk using an N-body code with a fiducial external force accounting for GDF. We find that GDF can induce binary mergers on timescales shorter than the disk lifetime for masses above m p ≳ 1022 g at 1 au, independent of the binary initial separation and eccentricity. Such mergers can affect the structure of merger-formed planetesimals, and the GDF-induced binary inspiral can play a role in the evolution of the planetesimal disk. In addition, binaries on eccentric orbits around the star may evolve in the supersonic regime, where the torque reverses and the binary expands, which would enhance the cross section for planetesimal encounters with the binary. Highly inclined binaries with small mass ratios, evolve due to the combined effects of Kozai–Lidov (KL) cycles with GDF which lead to chaotic evolution. Prograde binaries go through semi-regular KL evolution, while retrograde binaries frequently flip their inclination and ∼50% of them are destroyed.

COLLISIONS OF CO2 ICE GRAINS IN PLANET FORMATION

ABSTRACT In protoplanetary disks, CO2 is solid ice beyond its snow line at ∼ 10 AU ?> . Due to its high abundance, it contributes heavily to the collisional evolution in this region of the disk. For the first time, we carried out laboratory collision experiments with CO2 ice particles and a CO2-covered wall at a temperature of 80 K. Collision velocities varied between 0 and 2.5 m s−1. Particle sizes were on the order of ∼ 100 μm. We find a threshold velocity between the sticking and the bouncing regime at 0.04 m s−1. Particles with greater velocities, but below 1 m s−1, bounce off the wall. For yet greater velocities, fragmentation occurs. We give analytical models for the coefficients of restitution and fragmentation strength consistent with the experimental data. Set in context, our data show that CO2 ice and silicate dust resemble each other in the collisional behavior. Compared to water ice, the sticking velocity is an order of magnitude smaller. One immediate consequence as an example is that water-ice particles mantled by CO2 ice lose any “sticking advantage.” In this case, preferential planetesimal growth attributed to the sticking properties of water ice will be limited to the region between the H2O ice line and the CO2 ice line.

APPLICATION OF GAS DYNAMICAL FRICTION FOR PLANETESIMALS. I. EVOLUTION OF SINGLE PLANETESIMALS

The growth of small planetesimals into large planetary embryos occurs much before the dispersal of the gas from the protoplanetary disk. The planetesimal - gaseous-disk interactions give rise to migration and orbital evolution of the planetesimals/planets. Small planetesimals are dominated by aerodynamic gas drag. Large protoplanets, $m\sim0.1M_{\oplus}$, are dominated by type I migration \emph{differential} torque. There is an additional mass range, $m\sim10^{21}-10^{25}g$ of \emph{intermediate mass} planetesimals (IMPs), where gravitational interactions with the disk dominate over aerodynamic gas drag, but for which such interactions were typically neglected. Here we model these interactions using the \emph{gas dynamical friction} (GDF) approach, previously used to study the disk-planet interactions at the planetary mass range. We find the critical size where GDF dominates over gas drag, and then study the implications of GDF on single IMPs. We find that planetesimals with small inclinations rapidly become co-planar. Eccentric orbits circularize within a few Myrs, provided the the planetesimal mass is large, $m\gtrsim10^{23}g$ and that the initial eccentricity is low, $e\lesssim0.1$. Planetesimals of higher masses, $m\sim10^{24}-10^{25}g$ inspiral on a time-scale of a few Myrs, leading to \emph{an embryonic migration} to the inner disk. This can lead to an over-abundance of rocky material (in the form of IMPs) in the inner protoplanetary disk ($<1$AU) and induce rapid planetary growth. This can explain the origin of super-Earth planets. In addition, GDF damps the velocities of IMPs, thereby cooling the planetesimal disk and affecting its collisional evolution through quenching the effects of viscous stirring by the large bodies.

BIRTH LOCATIONS OF THEKEPLERCIRCUMBINARY PLANETS

The Kepler mission has discovered about a dozen circumbinary planetary systems, all containing planets on ~ 1 AU orbits. We place bounds on the locations in the circumbinary protoplanetary disk, where these planets could have formed through collisional agglomeration starting from small (km-sized or less) planetesimals. We first present a model of secular planetesimal dynamics that accounts for the (1) perturbation due to the eccentric precessing binary, as well as the (2) gravity and (3) gas drag from a precessing eccentric disk. Their simultaneous action leads to rich dynamics, with (multiple) secular resonances emerging in the disk. We derive analytic results for size-dependent planetesimal eccentricity, and demonstrate the key role of the disk gravity for circumbinary dynamics. We then combine these results with a simple model for collisional outcomes and find that in systems like Kepler 16, planetesimal growth starting with 10-100 m planetesimals is possible outside a few AU. The exact location exterior to which this happens is sensitive to disk eccentricity, density and precession rate, as well as to the size of the first generation of planetesimals. Strong perturbations from the binary in the inner part of the disk, combined with a secular resonance at a few AU inhibit the growth of km-sized planetesimals within 2 - 4 AU of the binary. In situ planetesimal growth in the Kepler circumbinary systems is possible only starting from large (few-km-sized) bodies in a low-mass disk with surface density less than 500 g/cm^2 at 1 AU.