Field-First Differentiation in Planet Formation: Electromagnetic Selectivity, Threshold Clustering, and the Constructive Role of Charge Fluctuations

This paper explores a simple but consequential question in early planet formation: can electromagnetic interactions influence which solid particles begin to aggregate before gravity becomes the dominant binding mechanism? Rather than proposing an alternative to conventional planet-formation theory, the study develops a complementary “field-first” framework based entirely on standard electrodynamics, grain charging, gas drag, and collision physics. The central idea is that differences in material and surface properties may lead to different electromagnetic responses and, consequently, different aggregation histories. A dimensionless coupling parameter,Λ=ωcts, is used to distinguish drag-dominated, transitional, and field-dominated regimes, while the competition between electromagnetic seeding and gravitational binding is expressed through the condition tseed