Context. In the standard scenario of planet formation, terrestrial planets and the cores of the giant planets are formed by accretion of planetesimals. As planetary embryos grow, the planetesimal velocity dispersion increases because of gravitational excitations produced by embryos. The increasing relative velocities of the planetesimal cause them to fragment through mutual collisions. Aims. We study the role of planetesimal fragmentation on giant planet formation. We analyze how planetesimal fragmentation modifies the growth of giant planet cores for a wide range of planetesimal sizes and disk masses. Methods. We incorporated a model of planetesimal fragmentation into our model of in situ giant planet formation. We calculated the evolution of the solid surface density (planetesimals plus fragments) taking into account the accretion by the planet, migration, and fragmentation. Results. Incorporating planetesimal fragmentation significantly modifies the process of planetary formation. If most of the mass loss in planetesimal collisions is distributed in the smaller fragments, planetesimal fragmentation inhibits the growth of the embryo for initial planetesimals of radii smaller than 10 km. Only for initial planetesimals with a radius of 100 km, and disks larger than 0.06 M , embryos achieve masses larger than the mass of Earth. However, even for these large planetesimals and massive disks, planetesimal fragmentation induces the quick formation of massive cores only if most of the mass loss in planetesimal collisions is distributed in the larger fragments. Conclusions. Planetesimal fragmentation seems to play an important role in giant planet formation. The way in which the mass loss in planetesimal collisions is distributed leads to different results, inhibiting or favoring the formation of massive cores.

The existence of a radius valley in the Kepler size distribution stands as one of the most important observational constraints to understand the origin and composition of exoplanets with radii between those of Earth and Neptune. In this work we provide insights into the existence of the radius valley, first from a pure formation point of view and then from a combined formation-evolution model. We run global planet formation simulations including the evolution of dust by coagulation, drift, and fragmentation, and the evolution of the gaseous disc by viscous accretion and photoevaporation. A planet grows from a moon-mass embryo by either silicate or icy pebble accretion, depending on its position with respect to the water ice line. We include gas accretion, type I–II migration, and photoevaporation driven mass-loss after formation. We perform an extensive parameter study evaluating a wide range of disc properties and initial locations of the embryo. We find that due to the change in dust properties at the water ice line, rocky cores form typically with ∼3 M⊕ and have a maximum mass of ∼5 M⊕, while icy cores peak at ∼10 M⊕, with masses lower than 5 M⊕ being scarce. When neglecting the gaseous envelope, the formed rocky and icy cores account naturally for the two peaks of the Kepler size distribution. The presence of massive envelopes yields planets more massive than ∼10 M⊕ with radii above 4 R⊕. While the first peak of the Kepler size distribution is undoubtedly populated by bare rocky cores, as shown extensively in the past, the second peak can host half-rock–half-water planets with thin or non-existent H-He atmospheres, as suggested by a few previous studies. Some additional mechanisms inhibiting gas accretion or promoting envelope mass-loss should operate at short orbital periods to explain the presence of ∼10–40 M⊕ planets falling in the second peak of the size distribution.

Context. The core accretion mechanism is presently the most widely accepted cause of the formation of giant planets. For simplicity, most models presently assume that the growth of planetary embryos occurs in isolation. Aims. We explore how the simultaneous growth of two embryos at the present locations of Jupiter and Saturn affects the outcome of planetary formation. Methods. We model planet formation on the basis of the core accretion scenario and include several key physical ingredients. We consider a protoplanetary gas disk that exponentially decays with time. For planetesimals, we allow for a distribution of sizes from 100 m to 100 km with most of the mass in the smaller objects. We include planetesimal migration as well as different profiles for the surface density Σ of the disk. The core growth is computed in the framework of the oligarchic growth regime and includes the viscous enhancement of the planetesimal capture cross-section. Planet migration is ignored. Results. By comparing calculations assuming formation of embryos in isolation to calculations with simultaneous embryo growth, we find that the growth of one embryo generally significantly affects the other. This occurs in spite of the feeding zones of each planet never overlapping. The results may be classified as a function of the gas surface density profile Σ: if Σ ∝ r −3/2 and the protoplanetary disk is rather massive, Jupiter's formation inhibits the growth of Saturn. If Σ ∝ r −1 isolated and simultaneous formation lead to very similar outcomes; in the the case of Σ ∝ r −1/2 Saturn grows faster and induces a density wave that later accelerates the formation of Jupiter. Conclusions. Our results indicate that the simultaneous growth of several embryos impacts the final outcome and should be taken into account by planet formation models.