REVIEW 2 major objections 2 minor 83 references
Infalling gas and stellar flybys reshape resonant disk-planet systems by exciting eccentric dust structures and altering planetary accretion rates.
Reviewed by Pith at T0; open to challenge. T0 means a machine referee read the full paper against a public rubric. the ladder, T0–T4 →
T0 review · grok-4.3
2026-06-26 13:21 UTC pith:U2OPJROA
load-bearing objection The runs show that cloudlet infall and flybys can excite eccentric multi-ring dust and shift accretion rates in a 2:1 resonant pair, but the link to narrow gas-free debris disks is not simulated. the 2 major comments →
Environmental interactions in Class II systems and their impact on the disk-planet architecture
The pith
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
Environmental interactions during the Class II phase reshape disk-planet systems. Infall events increase disk mass and angular momentum, dynamically exciting the dust and producing eccentric multi-ring dust structures, while stellar flybys truncate the disk, compact the dust radially, and enhance episodic radial migration. Both processes excite eccentricity in gas and dust, leading to distinct accretion pathways, with the flyby promoting inward dust migration that may enhance solid accretion and infall preferentially increasing the accretion rate of the inner planet. In particular, infall can lead to the formation of eccentric narrow debris disks whose dynamical signatures may persist into l
What carries the argument
3D SPH simulations of a two-planet disk in 2:1 mean-motion resonance, with multiple dust species treated as particles including back-reaction on the gas, subjected to an infalling cloudlet or stellar flyby perturbation.
Load-bearing premise
The chosen initial disk mass, planet masses and resonance, cloudlet and flyby parameters, and the dust-as-particles treatment with back-reaction are representative of real Class II systems and capture the dominant physics over the simulated timescales.
What would settle it
High-resolution observations of a young system showing recent gas infall yet only circular, non-eccentric dust structures would falsify the claim that infall produces eccentric narrow debris disks.
If this is right
- Infall increases disk mass and angular momentum, producing eccentric multi-ring dust structures.
- Stellar flybys truncate the disk radially and promote inward dust migration that can enhance solid accretion onto planets.
- Infall preferentially increases the accretion rate onto the inner planet while flybys affect both planets through enhanced migration.
- Dynamical signatures from these interactions, such as eccentric narrow debris disks, may persist into later evolutionary stages.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- Eccentric debris disks observed around mature stars could frequently trace back to late infall events during the Class II phase rather than internal planet-disk interactions alone.
- Planets forming in dense clusters may end up with systematically different solid compositions than those in isolated regions because of varying infall and flyby histories.
- Future ALMA or JWST maps of young disks could search for truncated or multi-ring eccentric patterns as indirect evidence of past environmental perturbations.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper reports 3D Phantom SPH simulations of a Class II protoplanetary disk hosting two planets in 2:1 mean-motion resonance. The disk is subjected to either an infalling gaseous cloudlet or a stellar flyby, with dust modeled as multiple particle species including back-reaction on the gas. The simulations show that infall increases disk mass and angular momentum, exciting eccentric multi-ring dust structures, while the flyby truncates the disk and promotes inward dust migration. These perturbations lead to distinct planetary accretion pathways, with the authors concluding that environmental interactions reshape disk-planet systems and that infall can produce eccentric narrow debris disks whose signatures may persist.
Significance. If the central numerical results hold under broader conditions, the work would demonstrate that late environmental perturbations during the Class II phase can alter disk morphology, dust dynamics, and planet growth, offering a pathway to explain eccentric debris disks and varied exoplanet architectures. The inclusion of dust back-reaction and multiple species strengthens the modeling relative to simpler treatments.
major comments (2)
- [Abstract] Abstract: The claim that 'infall events can lead to the formation of eccentric, narrow debris disks' extrapolates beyond the reported simulations, which are performed only in the gas-rich Class II phase using Phantom SPH with dust particles and back-reaction. No gas-dispersal evolution is presented, leaving the transition from the simulated eccentric multi-ring gas+dust structures to a narrow gas-free debris disk untested and the morphology's survival unquantified.
- Results section (inferred from abstract and methods description): All outcomes rest on a single set of initial conditions (disk mass, planet masses, 2:1 resonance, cloudlet properties, flyby parameters) without reported parameter sweeps, variations, or convergence tests. This makes the robustness of the claimed changes in disk structure, eccentricity excitation, and differential accretion rates unclear and limits the strength of the general conclusions about environmental impacts.
minor comments (2)
- [Abstract] The abstract and main text provide only qualitative descriptions of outcomes (e.g., 'increases the accretion rate') without quantitative values, error estimates, or time-averaged metrics for accretion rates or eccentricities.
- Figure captions and text should explicitly state the simulation duration relative to the Class II lifetime and the exact timing of the perturbations to allow readers to assess the evolutionary stage.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for their constructive and detailed comments, which have helped clarify the scope and limitations of our work. We respond to each major comment below.
read point-by-point responses
-
Referee: [Abstract] Abstract: The claim that 'infall events can lead to the formation of eccentric, narrow debris disks' extrapolates beyond the reported simulations, which are performed only in the gas-rich Class II phase using Phantom SPH with dust particles and back-reaction. No gas-dispersal evolution is presented, leaving the transition from the simulated eccentric multi-ring gas+dust structures to a narrow gas-free debris disk untested and the morphology's survival unquantified.
Authors: We agree that the simulations are confined to the gas-rich Class II phase and do not include explicit modeling of gas dispersal or the subsequent evolution into a debris disk. The abstract statement was meant to highlight a plausible long-term implication of the eccentric multi-ring dust structures we observe. To address the concern directly, we will revise the abstract (and the final sentence of the conclusions) to read: 'infall events can excite eccentric multi-ring dust structures whose dynamical signatures may persist as eccentric narrow debris disks after gas dispersal.' This change removes the implication of a direct formation pathway while retaining the physical motivation from our results. revision_made = yes revision: yes
-
Referee: [—] Results section (inferred from abstract and methods description): All outcomes rest on a single set of initial conditions (disk mass, planet masses, 2:1 resonance, cloudlet properties, flyby parameters) without reported parameter sweeps, variations, or convergence tests. This makes the robustness of the claimed changes in disk structure, eccentricity excitation, and differential accretion rates unclear and limits the strength of the general conclusions about environmental impacts.
Authors: We acknowledge that the presented results are for one specific set of initial conditions. These were selected to isolate the effects of environmental perturbations on a representative 2:1 resonant Class II system with dust back-reaction. Full parameter explorations are computationally prohibitive for 3D SPH runs with multiple dust species. We will add an explicit limitations paragraph in the discussion section noting that the reported mechanisms (eccentricity excitation, differential accretion, inward dust migration) are demonstrated for this configuration and that broader surveys are needed to quantify how outcomes scale with disk mass, planet mass ratio, or perturbation strength. The conclusions will be rephrased to emphasize that environmental interactions 'can' produce these effects rather than claiming they are universal. revision_made = partial revision: partial
Circularity Check
No circularity: results are direct outputs of specified numerical experiments
full rationale
The paper reports outcomes from 3D Phantom SPH simulations with explicit initial conditions (2:1 resonant planets, cloudlet infall, flyby parameters), dust-as-particles treatment, and back-reaction. No analytical derivation chain, fitted parameters renamed as predictions, or self-citation load-bearing steps exist. Claims follow directly from the described runs without reduction to inputs by construction. The extrapolation concern (gas-rich to gas-free debris disk) is an assumption about unmodeled evolution, not a circularity in the reported results.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
read the original abstract
Protoplanetary disks evolve in clustered environments where interactions with nearby stars and interstellar gas are common. Such environmental processes, including stellar flybys and gas infall, can significantly perturb disk structures over the disk lifetime and potentially influence the evolution of embedded planets. We investigate how environmental interactions affect the architecture of Class II systems that host both a disk and already-formed planets, and assess their impact on disk structure and dynamics, as well as planetary evolution. We performed 3D simulations using the Phantom SPH code, including multiple dust species treated with a dust-as-particles approach that accounts for dust back-reaction on the gas. We modeled a disk hosting two planets in a 2:1 mean-motion resonance and subjected the system to two types of perturbations: an infalling gaseous cloudlet and a stellar flyby. Infall and flyby perturbations change the disk morphology and dynamical state. Infalling gas increases the disk mass and angular momentum, dynamically exciting the dust and producing eccentric, multi-ring dust structures. The stellar flyby truncates the disk, compacting the dust distribution radially and enhancing episodic radial migration of dust grains. These processes excite eccentricity in both gas and dust, leading to distinct accretion pathways for the planets. In particular, the flyby promotes inward dust migration, which may enhance solid accretion onto the planets, while infall preferentially increases the accretion rate of the inner planet. Environmental interactions during the Class II phase can reshape disk-planet systems, imprinting dynamical signatures that may persist into later evolutionary stages. Both late infall and stellar flybys influence the growth and composition of planets; in particular, infall events can lead to the formation of eccentric, narrow debris disks.
Figures
Reference graph
Works this paper leans on
-
[1]
2025, A&A, 703, A210 ALMA Partnership, Brogan, C
Alaguero, A., Ménard, F., Cuello, N., et al. 2025, A&A, 703, A210 ALMA Partnership, Brogan, C. L., Pérez, L. M., et al. 2015, ApJ, 808, L3
2025
-
[2]
Andrews, S. M. 2020, ARA&A, 58, 483
2020
-
[3]
M., Wilner, D
Andrews, S. M., Wilner, D. J., Hughes, A. M., Qi, C., & Dullemond, C. P. 2009, ApJ, 700, 1502
2009
-
[4]
Armitage, P. J. 2018, in Handbook of Exoplanets, ed. H. J. Deeg & J. A. Bel- monte, 135
2018
-
[5]
Armitage, P. J. 2020, Astrophysics of planet formation, Second Edition
2020
-
[6]
2019, ApJ, 884, L41
Bae, J., Zhu, Z., Baruteau, C., et al. 2019, ApJ, 884, L41
2019
-
[7]
R., Bonnell, I
Bate, M. R., Bonnell, I. A., & Bromm, V . 2003, MNRAS, 339, 577
2003
-
[8]
R., Bonnell, I
Bate, M. R., Bonnell, I. A., & Price, N. M. 1995, MNRAS, 277, 362
1995
-
[9]
2016, Space Sci
Birnstiel, T., Fang, M., & Johansen, A. 2016, Space Sci. Rev., 205, 41
2016
-
[10]
Bonnell, I. A. 1994, MNRAS, 269, 837
1994
-
[11]
J., Hilder, T., et al
Calcino, J., Price, D. J., Hilder, T., et al. 2025, MNRAS, 537, 2695
2025
-
[12]
Chambers, J. E. 2001, Icarus, 152, 205
2001
-
[13]
2025, A&A, 696, A175
Charalambous, C., Cuello, N., & Petrovich, C. 2025, A&A, 696, A175
2025
-
[14]
A., Ruíz-Rodríguez, D., Hales, A., et al
Cieza, L. A., Ruíz-Rodríguez, D., Hales, A., et al. 2019, MNRAS, 482, 698
2019
-
[15]
Clarke, C. J. & Pringle, J. E. 1993, MNRAS, 261, 190
1993
-
[16]
2019, MNRAS, 483, 4114
Cuello, N., Dipierro, G., Mentiplay, D., et al. 2019, MNRAS, 483, 4114
2019
-
[17]
Cuello, N., Ménard, F., & Price, D. J. 2023, European Physical Journal Plus, 138, 11
2023
-
[18]
2015, MNRAS, 453, L73
Dipierro, G., Price, D., Laibe, G., et al. 2015, MNRAS, 453, L73
2015
-
[19]
P., Küffmeier, M., Goicovic, F., et al
Dullemond, C. P., Küffmeier, M., Goicovic, F., et al. 2019, A&A, 628, A20
2019
-
[20]
M., Stutz, A
Dunham, M. M., Stutz, A. M., Allen, L. E., et al. 2014, in Protostars and Planets VI, ed. H. Beuther, R. S. Klessen, C. P. Dullemond, & T. Henning, 195–218
2014
-
[21]
A., Hillenbrand, L
Eisner, J. A., Hillenbrand, L. A., White, R. J., Akeson, R. L., & Sargent, A. I. 2005, ApJ, 623, 952
2005
-
[22]
M., Kalas, P., Fitzgerald, M
Esposito, T. M., Kalas, P., Fitzgerald, M. P., et al. 2020, AJ, 160, 24
2020
-
[23]
2014, A&A, 563, A72
Faramaz, V ., Beust, H., Thébault, P., et al. 2014, A&A, 563, A72
2014
-
[24]
R., et al
Faramaz, V ., Krist, J., Stapelfeldt, K. R., et al. 2019, AJ, 158, 162
2019
-
[25]
2021, A&A, 651, A90
Fedele, D., Toci, C., Maud, L., & Lodato, G. 2021, A&A, 651, A90
2021
-
[26]
Fouchet, L., Gonzalez, J.-F., & Maddison, S. T. 2010, A&A, 518, A16
2010
-
[27]
2008, ApJS, 176, 184
Furlan, E., McClure, M., Calvet, N., et al. 2008, ApJS, 176, 184
2008
-
[28]
2026, A&A, 709, A269
Garufi, A., Ginski, C., Benisty, M., et al. 2026, A&A, 709, A269
2026
-
[29]
G., et al
Garufi, A., Ginski, C., van Holstein, R. G., et al. 2024, A&A, 685, A53 González-Ruilova, C., Cieza, L. A., Hales, A. S., et al. 2020, ApJ, 902, L33
2024
-
[30]
Y ., Bohn, A
Haffert, S. Y ., Bohn, A. J., de Boer, J., et al. 2019, Nature Astronomy, 3, 749
2019
-
[31]
2026, A&A, 705, A196
Han, Y ., Mansell, E., Jennings, J., et al. 2026, A&A, 705, A196
2026
-
[32]
2016, ARA&A, 54, 135
Hartmann, L., Herczeg, G., & Calvet, N. 2016, ARA&A, 54, 135
2016
-
[33]
M., Duchêne, G., & Matthews, B
Hughes, A. M., Duchêne, G., & Matthews, B. C. 2018, ARA&A, 56, 541 Hühn, L.-A., Dullemond, C. P., Lebreuilly, U., et al. 2025, A&A, 696, A162
2018
-
[34]
Hurt, S. A. & MacGregor, M. A. 2023, ApJ, 954, 10
2023
-
[35]
Kennedy, G. M. 2020, Royal Society Open Science, 7, 200063
2020
-
[36]
2018, A&A, 617, A44
Keppler, M., Benisty, M., Müller, A., et al. 2018, A&A, 617, A44
2018
-
[37]
2019, A&A, 625, A118
Keppler, M., Teague, R., Bae, J., et al. 2019, A&A, 625, A118
2019
-
[38]
P., Reissl, S., & Goicovic, F
Kuffmeier, M., Dullemond, C. P., Reissl, S., & Goicovic, F. G. 2021, A&A, 656, A161
2021
-
[39]
G., & Dullemond, C
Kuffmeier, M., Goicovic, F. G., & Dullemond, C. P. 2020, A&A, 633, A3
2020
-
[40]
S., & Haugbølle, T
Kuffmeier, M., Jensen, S. S., & Haugbølle, T. 2023, European Physical Journal Plus, 138, 272
2023
-
[41]
E., Segura-Cox, D., & Haugbølle, T
Kuffmeier, M., Pineda, J. E., Segura-Cox, D., & Haugbølle, T. 2024, A&A, 690, A297
2024
-
[42]
J., Bate, M
Kurosawa, R., Harries, T. J., Bate, M. R., & Symington, N. H. 2004, MNRAS, 351, 1134
2004
-
[43]
T., Pérez, L
Kurtovic, N. T., Pérez, L. M., Benisty, M., et al. 2018, ApJ, 869, L44
2018
-
[44]
1997, A&A, 317, L75
Laskar, J. 1997, A&A, 317, L75
1997
-
[45]
& Adams, F
Laughlin, G. & Adams, F. C. 1998, ApJ, 508, L171
1998
-
[46]
Lin, J. W. & Chiang, E. 2019, ApJ, 883, 68 Löhne, T., Krivov, A. V ., & Rodmann, J. 2008, ApJ, 673, 1123
2019
-
[47]
J., Kratter, K
Longarini, C., Price, D. J., Kratter, K. M., Lodato, G., & Clarke, C. J. 2025, MNRAS, 541, 1145
2025
-
[48]
B., Hales, A
Lovell, J. B., Hales, A. S., Kennedy, G. M., et al. 2026, A&A, 705, A200
2026
-
[49]
B., Lynch, E
Lovell, J. B., Lynch, E. M., Chittidi, J., et al. 2025, ApJ, 990, 145
2025
-
[50]
& Kuchner, M
Lyra, W. & Kuchner, M. 2013, Nature, 499, 184
2013
-
[51]
A., Hurt, S
MacGregor, M. A., Hurt, S. A., Stark, C. C., et al. 2022, ApJ, 933, L1
2022
-
[52]
A., Matrà, L., Kalas, P., et al
MacGregor, M. A., Matrà, L., Kalas, P., et al. 2017, ApJ, 842, 8
2017
-
[53]
B., & Heggie, D
Malmberg, D., Davies, M. B., & Heggie, D. C. 2011, MNRAS, 411, 859
2011
-
[54]
F., Tazzari, M., Long, F., et al
Manara, C. F., Tazzari, M., Long, F., et al. 2019, A&A, 628, A95
2019
-
[55]
J., Pinte, C., & Laibe, G
Mentiplay, D., Price, D. J., Pinte, C., & Laibe, G. 2020, MNRAS, 499, 3806
2020
-
[56]
Murray, C. D. & Dermott, S. F. 1999, Solar system dynamics
1999
-
[57]
2014, ApJ, 797, 32
Padoan, P., Haugbølle, T., & Nordlund, Å. 2014, ApJ, 797, 32
2014
-
[58]
L., & Nordlund, Å
Padoan, P., Kritsuk, A., Norman, M. L., & Nordlund, Å. 2005, ApJ, 622, L61
2005
-
[59]
Padoan, P., Pan, L., Pelkonen, V .-M., Haugbølle, T., & Nordlund, â. «. 2025, Nature Astronomy, 9, 862
2025
-
[60]
Pearce, T. D. & Wyatt, M. C. 2014, MNRAS, 443, 2541
2014
-
[61]
2025, A&A, 694, A327 Pérez, S., Casassus, S., Hales, A., et al
Pelkonen, V .-M., Padoan, P., Juvela, M., Haugbølle, T., & Nordlund, Å. 2025, A&A, 694, A327 Pérez, S., Casassus, S., Hales, A., et al. 2020, ApJ, 889, L24
2025
-
[62]
2013, A&A, 549, A82
Pfalzner, S. 2013, A&A, 549, A82
2013
-
[63]
2012, A&A, 545, A81
Pinilla, P., Benisty, M., & Birnstiel, T. 2012, A&A, 545, A81
2012
-
[64]
Price, D. J. 2007, PASA, 24, 159
2007
-
[65]
Price, D. J. & Laibe, G. 2020, MNRAS, 495, 3929
2020
-
[66]
J., Wurster, J., Tricco, T
Price, D. J., Wurster, J., Tricco, T. S., et al. 2018, Publications of the Astronom- ical Society of Australia, 35, e031
2018
-
[67]
Rafikov, R. R. 2002, ApJ, 569, 997
2002
-
[68]
2018, MNRAS, 474, 4460
Ragusa, E., Rosotti, G., Teyssandier, J., et al. 2018, MNRAS, 474, 4460
2018
-
[69]
K., Tobin, J
Reynolds, N. K., Tobin, J. J., Sheehan, P. D., et al. 2024, ApJ, 963, 164
2024
-
[70]
J., Stark, C
Rodigas, T. J., Stark, C. C., Weinberger, A., et al. 2015, ApJ, 798, 96
2015
-
[71]
2023, A&A, 669, A31
Schib, O., Mordasini, C., & Helled, R. 2023, A&A, 669, A31
2023
-
[72]
Shakura, N. I. & Sunyaev, R. A. 1973, A&A, 24, 337
1973
-
[73]
& Ogilvie, G
Teyssandier, J. & Ogilvie, G. I. 2016, MNRAS, 458, 3221
2016
-
[74]
P., Stamatellos, D., & Whitworth, A
Thies, I., Kroupa, P., Goodwin, S. P., Stamatellos, D., & Whitworth, A. P. 2011, MNRAS, 417, 1817
2011
-
[75]
J., Vigan, A., Lacour, S., et al
Wang, J. J., Vigan, A., Lacour, S., et al. 2021, AJ, 161, 148
2021
-
[76]
Ward, W. R. 1986, Icarus, 67, 164
1986
-
[77]
2023, MNRAS, 518, 5620
Weber, P., Pérez, S., Guidi, G., et al. 2023, MNRAS, 518, 5620
2023
-
[78]
Wijnen, T. P. G., Pelupessy, F. I., Pols, O. R., & Portegies Zwart, S. 2017, A&A, 604, A88
2017
-
[79]
Williams, J. P. & Cieza, L. A. 2011, ARA&A, 49, 67
2011
-
[80]
Wyatt, M. C. 2008, ARA&A, 46, 339
2008
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.