Water on Rocky Planets May Originate Locally, Not from Outer Solar System

The research presented challenges the long-held belief that water on terrestrial planets, including Earth, was primarily delivered from the outer Solar System. The study proposes that a significant amount of water could have been inherited locally from wet silicates present in the inner Solar System during planet formation. The key finding is that the binding energy of water on silicate grains is significantly higher than on amorphous ice, allowing water to be retained at higher temperatures. This suggests that water could have been incorporated into pebbles and planetesimals within the snowline, providing a local source of water for the growing planets. The model's agreement with available estimates of water content in terrestrial planets lends further support to the hypothesis. This alternative scenario has significant implications for our understanding of planetary formation and the distribution of water in planetary systems. If water can be readily sourced locally, it may increase the likelihood of finding habitable planets in other star systems. However, the model relies on complex quantum mechanics calculations and requires further validation through observational data and simulations. Future research should focus on refining the model and exploring its implications for the formation and evolution of terrestrial planets.

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