What defines the boundary where volatiles condense into solid ice grains in the disk?
Answer
The frost line
The temperature gradient established by the developing protostar dictates the chemical environment throughout the protoplanetary disk. Close to the center, high temperatures vaporize light, volatile materials such as water and methane, leaving only refractory, rocky materials available for planet formation. However, farther out, beyond a critical boundary known as the frost line (or ice line), temperatures drop sufficiently low for these volatiles to condense and exist as solid ice grains. This abundance of solid material beyond the frost line is essential for the rapid formation of the large cores necessary for giant planets.
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