Planet formation process as a phase transition. III - Mass distribution in the outer solar system

On the basis of the phase transition model for planetary formation, an evaluation is made of the mass which should be present in the part of the solar nebula corresponding to the outer planets. Results confirm the hypothesis of a relevant depletion of the light gas component. This effect increases with the distance from the Sun, lowering the masses of Uranus and Neptune with respect to Saturn and Jupiter: calculations suggest that the original mass in Uranus' and Neptune's zones was almost the same as in that of Saturn.