THE EARLY EVOLUTION OF JUPITER IN THE TIDAL FIELD OF THE SUN

An intricate point-mass simulation of early protoplanetary evolution in the tidal field of the Sun, and under physical constraints appropriate to the Capture Theory, shows that a Jupiter-like protoplanet which is moving on a highly eccentric orbit passes through a series of prolate spheroids until self-gravitation restores the protoplanet towards sphericity. The Sun-facing tidal protuberance initially lags the radius vector resulting in a prograde rotation being induced. The fast internal hydrodynamic collapse coupled with a slowly moving surface permits a significant proportion of the inner protoplanet to contract to Jupiter dimensions while the surface material gains specific angular momentum comparable to that of the Galilean satellites. © 1982 Royal Astronomical Society. Provided by the NASA Astrophysics Data System.