In the fascinating world of planetary formation, the traditional view depicts planets as products of massive collisions among planetary embryos after the gas in young solar systems has dissipated. However, the complex dynamics of this process have long posed a challenge for researchers.

While N-body simulations have been the go-to method for exploring these cosmic collisions, their high computational demands limit researchers' ability to produce enough planetary configurations for effective statistical analysis against real-world observations.

To address this, a previous study presented a semi-analytical model that accurately reflects the evolution of planets influenced by giant impacts and gravitational interactions. This groundbreaking approach effectively mirrored the statistical characteristics of planetary bodies found in N-body simulations located around 1 astronomical unit (au) from solar-like stars.

Yet, the model fell short when it came to exploring the inner solar system (around 0.1 au) or lower-mass stars, as both orbital radius and stellar mass significantly affect the dynamics of planetary evolution.

In response, this latest study unveils a new semi-analytical model specifically tailored for close-in orbits around a variety of star masses. It has undergone rigorous validation against N-body simulations.

The innovative model not only predicts the final distributions of planetary mass, orbital size, and eccentricity with greater accuracy but does so at a fraction of the computational cost associated with traditional methods. This efficiency opens the door to a comprehensive planetary population synthesis model that integrates other aspects of planet formation.

This research marks a significant advancement in our understanding of how planets are born and evolve, potentially reshaping the landscapes of future astronomical studies.