Andrew Prentice

Andrew Prentice is an Australian mathematician. He is known for developing an alternative model of planetary formation. In contrast to the conventional model where planetary accretion occurs within a continuous disk, according to Prentice's "Modern Laplacian Theory" each planet accretes within a discrete circumsolar gas ring. Prentice's nested gas rings arise due to the effect of 'supersonic turbulent convection' in slowing the infall of interstellar dust and gas. Instead of collapsing directly to form a flat continuous disk, due to 'turbulent stress' the gas temporarily remains puffed up in a vast rotating spheroidal atmosphere around the protosolar core. This atmosphere spins faster as it slowly contracts. It rids itself of excess angular momentum by sequentially shedding gas rings from its equator. The same process repeats itself on a much smaller scale for each of the giant planets to produce their regular satellite systems. Prentice has used his unorthodox model to make a range of surprisingly accurate predictions about the Solar System. He is currently Emeritus Professor in the School of Mathematical Sciences at Monash University.