Dynamical influence of a proto-Jupiter on a disc of colliding planetesimals

A three dimensional simulation of a perturbed disc of test particles having mutual dissipative collisions has been performed in order to study the dynamical effect of an early proto-Jupiter on a disc of planetesimals in the inner solar system. A collisional diffusion mechanism has been identified: successive collisions propagate and redistribute the strong perturbations created at resonant regions far away from the resonances. The system tends towards a quasi-equilibrium state which is reached in a time scale of the order of 5×105 years. For a massive proto-Jupiter of 10−3 M○· the final perturbed region extends from 1.8 to 5 AU. In this area relative velocities are high enough to inhibit the accretion of km-sized bodies.