Conditions for Pulsar Planet Formation

This paper outlines the conditions for planet formation around pulsars. A common model proposes the fallback of mass after an initial supernova explosion, which occurs as a reverse shock propagates the inward accretion of a fraction of bound material back onto the surface of the star. The initial fallback mass spreads and simultaneously decreases in surface density, during which planet formation may take place at sufficiently cool temperatures. The existence of these conditions, and the availability of material to form planets, depends on the time since the initial fallback as well as the fallback radius from the central star. By modeling the profile of a pulsar accretion disk and using solar estimates for dust settling time and planetary isolation mass, we may predict the conditions for the evolution of planetesimals in a pulsar system.