Magnetically-aided evolution of protoplanetary disks

view Abstract Citations (25) References (27) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Evolution of Magnetized Protoplanetary Disks Reyes-Ruiz, Mauricio ; Stepinski, Tomasz F. Abstract We investigate the global evolution of a turbulent protoplanetary disk in its viscous stage, incorporating the effects of Maxwell stress due to a large-scale magnetic field permeating disk. We assume that the viscous stress is given by an alpha model. A magnetic field is produced contemporaneously by an alpha omega dynamo mechanism and the resultant Maxwell stress assists the viscous stress in providing the means for disk evolution. The aim of this work is to compare the evolution of magnetized and nonmagnetized disks driven by turbulent viscosity of the same magnitude and thus assess the effects of a self-generated magnetic field on the structure and dynamical evolution of protoplanetary disks. Two illustrative examples corresponding to two different initial conditions are considered: a high-mass case that starts with a disk of 0.245 solar mass and angular momentum of 5.6 x 1052g sq cm/s, and a low-mass that case starts with a disk of 0.11 solar mass and angular momentum of 1.8 x 1052g sq cm/s. For each of these two cases the radial development of a disk is calculated numerically assuming a fiducial value of the dimensionless viscosity parameter alphass = 0.01, as well as alphass = 2 x 10-3. In all cases the central star has a mass equal to 1 solar mass. The most striking feature of magnetized disk evolution is the presence of the surface density bulge located in the region of the disk where the dynamo mechanism cannot support a magnetic field. The bulge persists for a time of the order of 105-106 yr. The presence and persistence of the surface density bulge may have important implications for the process of planet formation and the overall characteristics of resultant planetary systems. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: January 1995 DOI: 10.1086/175120 Bibcode: 1995ApJ...438..750R Keywords: Accretion Disks; Magnetic Fields; Planetary Evolution; Protoplanets; Viscosity; Finite Difference Theory; Ionization; Planetary Systems; Turbulence; Astrophysics; ACCRETION; ACCRETION DISKS; MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS: MHD; STARS: PLANETARY SYSTEMS full text sources ADS |

Large-scale vertical magnetic fields are believed to play a key role in the evolution of protoplanetary discs. Associated with non-ideal effects, such as ambipolar diffusion, they are known to launch a wind that could drive accretion in the outer part of the disc (R > 1 AU). They also potentially lead to self-organisation of the disc into large-scale axisymmetric structures, similar to the rings recently imaged by sub-millimetre or near-infrared instruments (ALMA and SPHERE). The aim of this paper is to investigate the mechanism behind the formation of these gaseous rings, but also to understand the dust dynamics and its emission in discs threaded by a large-scale magnetic field. To this end, we performed global magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) axisymmetric simulations with ambipolar diffusion using a modified version of the PLUTO code. We explored different magnetisations with the midplane β parameter ranging from 105 to 103 and included dust grains -treated in the fluid approximation- ranging from 100 μm to 1 cm in size. We first show that the gaseous rings (associated with zonal flows) are tightly linked to the existence of MHD winds. Secondly, we find that millimetre-size dust is highly sedimented, with a typical scale height of 1 AU at R = 100 AU for β = 104, compatible with recent ALMA observations. We also show that these grains concentrate into pressure maxima associated with zonal flows, leading to the formation of dusty rings. Using the radiative transfer code MCFOST, we computed the dust emission and make predictions on the ring-gap contrast and the spectral index that one might observe with interferometers like ALMA.

Aims. Accretion bursts triggered by the magnetorotational instability (MRI) in the innermost disk regions were studied for protoplanetary gas-dust disks that formed from prestellar cores of a various mass Mcore and mass-to-magnetic flux ratio λ. Methods. Numerical magnetohydrodynamics simulations in the thin-disk limit were employed to study the long-term (~1.0 Myr) evolution of protoplanetary disks with an adaptive turbulent α-parameter, which explicitly depends on the strength of the magnetic field and ionization fraction in the disk. The numerical models also feature the co-evolution of gas and dust, including the back-reaction of dust on gas and dust growth. Results. A dead zone with a low ionization fraction of x≲10−13 and temperature on the order of several hundred Kelvin forms in the inner disk soon after its formation, extending from several to several tens of astronomical units depending on the model. The dead zone features pronounced dust rings that are formed due to the concentration of grown dust particles in the local pressure maxima. Thermal ionization of alkaline metals in the dead zone trigger the MRI and associated accretion burst, which is characterized by a sharp rise, small-scale variability in the active phase, and fast decline once the inner MRI-active region is depleted of matter. The burst occurrence frequency is highest in the initial stages of disk formation and is driven by gravitational instability (GI), but it declines with diminishing disk mass-loading from the infalling envelope. There is a causal link between the initial burst activity and the strength of GI in the disk fueled by mass infall from the envelope. We find that the MRI-driven burst phenomenon occurs for λ = 2–10, but diminishes in models with Mcore ≲ M⊙, suggesting a lower limit on the stellar mass for which the MRI-triggered burst can occur. Conclusions. The MRI-triggered bursts occur for a wide range of mass-to-magnetic flux ratios and initial cloud core masses. The burst occurrence frequency is highest in the initial disk formation stage and reduces as the disk evolves from a gravitationally unstable to a viscous-dominated state. The MRI-triggered bursts are intrinsically connected with the dust rings in the inner disk regions, and both can be a manifestation of the same phenomenon, that is to say the formation of a dead zone.

In our Galaxy, star formation occurs in a variety of environments, with a large fraction of stars formed in clusters hosting massive stars. OB stars have an important feedback on the evolution of protoplanetary disks orbiting around nearby young stars and likely on the process of planet formation occurring in them. The nearby massive association Cyg OB2 is an outstanding laboratory to study this feedback. It is the closest massive association to our Sun and hosts hundreds of massive stars and thousands of low-mass members, both with and without disks. In this paper, we analyze the spatial variation of the disk fraction (i.e., the fraction of cluster members bearing a disk) in Cyg OB2 and study its correlation with the local values of far-ultraviolet (FUV) and extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) radiation fields and the local stellar surface density. We present definitive evidence that disks are more rapidly dissipated in the regions of the association characterized by intense local UV fields and large stellar density. In particular, the FUV radiation dominates disk dissipation timescales in the proximity (i.e., within 0.5 pc) of the O stars. In the rest of the association, EUV photons potentially induce a significant mass loss from the irradiated disks across the entire association, but the efficiency of this process is reduced at increasing distances from the massive stars owing to absorption by the intervening intracluster material. We find that disk dissipation due to close stellar encounters is negligible in Cyg OB2 and likely to have affected 1% or fewer of the stellar population. Disk dissipation is instead dominated by photoevaporation. We also compare our results to what has been found in other young clusters with different massive populations, concluding that massive associations like Cyg OB2 are potentially hostile to protoplanetary disks but that the environments where disks can safely evolve in planetary systems are likely quite common in our Galaxy.

The numerical code PHYVE is a hydrodynamical code that allows to follow the formation and evolution of protoplanetary disks from the collapse of the molecular cloud to the photoevaporation phase. This code is able to model the surface mass density distribution consistently with the disk radial profile (including the disk composition and geometry). We aim at using this code for modeling circumplanetary disks by considering the protoplanetary disk as the source of infalling material, replacing the molecular cloud that was an initial parameter in the protoplanetary disk simulations. We will simulate the circumplanetary disk radial thermal profile and investigate the question of the crucial parameters differing from protoplanetary disks.

Context. During the evolution of protoplanetary disks into planetary systems we expect to detect signatures that trace mechanisms such as planet–disk interaction. Protoplanetary disks display a large variety of structures in recently published high-spatial resolution images. However, the three-dimensional morphology of these disks is often difficult to infer from the two-dimensional projected images we observe. Aims. We aim to detect signatures of planet–disk interaction by studying the scattering surface of the protoplanetary disk around HD 34282. Methods. We spatially resolved the disk using the high-contrast imager VLT/SPHERE in polarimetric imaging mode. We retrieved a profile for the height of the scattering surface to create a height-corrected deprojection, which simulates a face-on orientation. Results. The detected disk displays a complex scattering surface. An inner clearing or cavity extending up to r < 0.′′28 (88 au) is surrounded by a bright inclined (i = 56°) ring with a position angle of 119°. The center of this ring is offset from the star along the minor axis with 0.′′07, which can be explained with a disk height of 26 au above the midplane. Outside this ring, beyond its southeastern ansa we detect an azimuthal asymmetry or blob at r ~ 0.′′4. At larger separation, we detect an outer disk structure that can be fitted with an ellipse, which is compatible with a circular ring seen at r = 0.′′62 (=190 au) and a height of 77 au. After applying a height-corrected deprojection we see a circular ring centered on the star at 88 au; what had seemed to be a separate blob and outer ring could now both be part of a single-armed spiral. Conclusions. We present the first scattered-light image of the disk around HD 34282 and resolve a disk with an inner cavity up to r ≈ 90 au and a highly structured scattering surface of an inclined disk at a large height Hscat∕r = 0.′′29 above the midplane at the inner edge of the outer disk. Based on the current data it is not possible to conclude decisively whether Hscat∕r remains constant or whether the surface is flared with at most Hscat ∝ r1.35, although we favor the constant ratio based on our deprojections. The height-corrected deprojection allows for a more detailed interpretation of the observed structures, from which we discern the first detection of a single-armed spiral in a protoplanetary disk.

The formation, viscous evolution, and gravitational stability of protoplanetary disks are investigated. The formation process is parameterized by the angular velocity of the molecular cloud core omega, while the viscous evolution is parameterized by the viscosity parameter alpha in the disk; in this study we consider a range of (0.4-6) x 10(exp -14)/s for omega and from 10(exp -5) to 10(exp -1) for alpha. The axisymmetric gravitational stabilities of the disks are checked using Toomre's criterion. The resulting disk surface temperature distribution, (d log T(sub s)/d log R) approximately = -0.6 (R is the cylindrical radius), can be attributed to two heating sources: the viscous heating dominant in the inner disk region, and the accretion shock heating dominant in the outer disk region. This surface temperature distribution matches that observed in many disks around young stellar objects. During the infall stage, disks with alpha less than 10(exp -1.5) become gravitationally unstable independent of omega. The gravitational instabilities occur at radii ranging from 5 to 40 AU. The ratio of the disk mass to the central star mass ranges from 0.2 to 0.5 at the times of instability, about 4 x 10(exp -5) x (omega/10(exp -14)/s)(exp -0.67) yr. Most disks with low alpha and high omega become gravitationally unstable during their formation phase.

The evolution of protoplanetary discs and the related process of planet formation is regulated by angular momentum transport and mass-loss processes. Over the past decade, the paradigm of viscosity has been challenged and MHD disc winds appear as a compelling scenario to account for disc accretion. In this work, we aim to construct the equivalent of the widely used analytical description of viscous evolution for the MHD wind case. The transport of angular momentum and mass induced by the wind is parametrized by an α-like parameter and by the magnetic lever arm parameter λ. Extensions of the paradigmatic Lynden-Bell and Pringle similarity solutions to the wind case are presented. We show that wind-driven accretion leads to a steeper decrease in the disc mass and accretion rate than in viscous models due to the absence of disc spreading. If the decline of the magnetic field strength is slower than that of the gas surface density, the disc is dispersed after a finite time. The evolution of the disc in the $\dot{M}_*-M_{D}$ plane is sensitive to the wind and turbulence parameters. A disc population evolving under the action of winds can exhibit a correlation between $\dot{M}_*$ and MD depending on the initial conditions. The simplified framework proposed in this work opens to a new avenue to test the effectiveness of wind-driven accretion from the observed disc demographics and constitutes an important step to include wind-driven accretion in planet population synthesis models.

The evolution of protoplanetary disks in regions with massive OB stars is influenced by externally driven winds that deplete the outer parts of these disks. The winds have previously been studied via forbidden oxygen emission lines, which also arise in isolated disks in low-mass star-forming regions (SFRs) with weak external UV fields in photoevaporative or magnetic (internal) disk winds. It is crucial to determine how to disentangle external winds from internal ones. Here, we report a proxy for unambiguously identifying externally driven winds with a forbidden line of neutral atomic carbon, [C I] 8727 Å. We compare for the first time the spatial location of the emission in the [O I] 5577 Å, [O I] 6300 Å, and [C I] 8727 Å lines traced by VLT/MUSE-NFM with the ALMA Band 7 continuum disk emission in a sample of 12 proplyds in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). We confirm that the [O I] 5577 Å emission is co-spatial with the disk emission, whereas that of [O I] 6300 Å is emitted both on the disk surface and on the ionization front of the proplyds. We show for the first time that the [C I] 8727 Å line is also co-spatial with the disk surface in proplyds, as seen in the MUSE and ALMA data comparison. The peak emission is compatible with the stellar location in all cases, apart from one target with high relative inclination with respect to the ionizing radiation, where the peak emission is located at the disk edge in the direction of the ionizing radiation. To verify whether the [C I] 8727 Å line is detected in regions where external photoevaporation is not expected, we examined VLT/X-Shooter spectra for young stars in low-mass SFRs. Although the [O I] 5577 Å and 6300 Å lines are well detected in all these targets, the total detection rate is ≪10% in the case of the [C I] 8727 Å line. This number increases substantially to a ∼40% detection rate in σ-Orionis, a region with higher UV radiation than in low-mass SFRs, but lower than in the ONC. The spatial location of the [C I] 8727 Å line emission and the lack of its detection in isolated disks in low-mass SFRs strongly suggest that this line is a tell-tale tracer of externally driven photoevaporative winds, which agrees with recent excitation models.

Studies of the structure and evolution of protoplanetary disks are important for understanding star and planet formation. Here, we present the direct image of an interacting binary protoplanetary system. Both circumprimary and circumsecondary disks are resolved in the near-infrared. There is a bridge of infrared emission connecting the two disks and a long spiral arm extending from the circumprimary disk. Numerical simulations show that the bridge corresponds to gas flow and a shock wave caused by the collision of gas rotating around the primary and secondary stars. Fresh material streams along the spiral arm, consistent with the theoretical scenarios where gas is replenished from a circummultiple reservoir.

The formation of planets depends on the underlying protoplanetary disc structure, which influences both the accretion and migration rates of embedded planets. The disc itself evolves on time-scales of several Myr during which both temperature and density profiles change as matter accretes onto the central star. Here we use a detailed model of an evolving disc to determine the growth of planets by pebble accretion and their migration through the disc. Cores that reach their pebble isolation mass accrete gas to finally form giant planets with extensive gas envelopes, while planets that do not reach pebble isolation mass are stranded as ice giants and ice planets containing only minor amounts of gas in their envelopes. Unlike earlier population synthesis models, our model works without any artificial reductions in migration speed and for protoplanetary discs with gas and dust column densities similar to those inferred from observations. We find that in our nominal disc model the emergence of planetary embryos preferably occurs after approximately 2 Myr in order to not exclusively form gas giants, but also ice giants and smaller planets. The high pebble accretion rates ensure that critical core masses for gas accretion can be reached at all orbital distances. Gas giant planets nevertheless experience significant reduction in semi-major axes by migration. Considering instead planetesimal accretion for planetary growth, we show that formation time-scales are too long to compete with the migration time-scales and the dissipation time of the protoplanetary disc. Altogether, we find that pebble accretion overcomes many of the challenges in the formation of ice and gas giants in evolving protoplanetary discs.

The formation of planets depends on the underlying protoplanetary disc structure, which influences both the accretion and migration rates of embedded planets. The disc itself evolves on time-scales of several Myr during which both temperature and density profiles change as matter accretes onto the central star. Here we use a detailed model of an evolving disc to determine the growth of planets by pebble accretion and their migration through the disc. Cores that reach their pebble isolation mass accrete gas to finally form giant planets with extensive gas envelopes, while planets that do not reach pebble isolation mass are stranded as ice giants and ice planets containing only minor amounts of gas in their envelopes. Unlike earlier population synthesis models, our model works without any artificial reductions in migration speed and for protoplanetary discs with gas and dust column densities similar to those inferred from observations. We find that in our nominal disc model the emergence of planetary embryos preferably occurs after approximately 2 Myr in order to not exclusively form gas giants, but also ice giants and smaller planets. The high pebble accretion rates ensure that critical core masses for gas accretion can be reached at all orbital distances. Gas giant planets nevertheless experience significant reduction in semi-major axes by migration. Considering instead planetesimal accretion for planetary growth, we show that formation time-scales are too long to compete with the migration time-scales and the dissipation time of the protoplanetary disc. Altogether, we find that pebble accretion overcomes many of the challenges in the formation of ice and gas giants in evolving protoplanetary discs.

The vertical distribution of pebbles in protoplanetary disks is a fundamental property influencing planet formation, from dust aggregation to the assembly of planetary cores. In the outer region of protoplanetary disks, the intensity of the optically thin but geometrically thick dust ring decreases along the minor axis due to reduced line-of-sight optical depth. Multi-ring disks thus provide an excellent opportunity to study the radial variation of the vertical properties of dust. We investigate the vertical dust distribution in six protoplanetary disks with resolved double rings, using high-resolution Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Band 6 continuum observations. By modeling the azimuthal intensity variations in these rings, we constrain the dust scale heights for each ring. Our results reveal a dichotomy: inner rings exhibit puffed-up dust layers with heights comparable to the gas scale height, while outer rings are significantly more settled, with dust scale heights less than 20% of the gas scale height. This suggests a radial dependence in dust settling efficiency within the disks, potentially driven by localized planetary interactions or the global radial dependency of the vertical shear instability. We discuss the implications of these findings for dust trapping, planet formation, and protoplanetary disk evolution. Our work highlights the importance of vertical dust distribution in understanding the early stages of planet formation and suggests that outer (>80 au), settled rings are preferred sites for planet formation over inner (<80 au), turbulent rings.

Aims. The central region of a circumstellar disk is difficult to resolve in global numerical simulations of collapsing cloud cores, but its effect on the evolution of the entire disk can be significant. Methods. We used numerical hydrodynamics simulations to model the long-term evolution of self-gravitating and viscous circumstellar disks in the thin-disk limit. Simulations start from the gravitational collapse of pre-stellar cores of 0.5–1.0 M⊙ and both gaseous and dusty subsystems were considered, including a model for dust growth. The inner unresolved 1.0 au of the disk is replaced with a central smart cell (CSC), a simplified model that simulates physical processes that may occur in this region. Results. We found that the mass transport rate through the CSC has an appreciable effect on the evolution of the entire disk. Models with slow mass transport form more massive and warmer disks, and are more susceptible to gravitational instability and fragmentation, including a newly identified episodic mode of disk fragmentation in the T Tauri phase of disk evolution. Models with slow mass transport through the CSC feature episodic accretion and luminosity bursts in the early evolution, while models with fast transport are characterized by a steadily declining accretion rate with low-amplitude flickering. Dust grows to a larger, decimeter size in the slow transport models and efficiently drifts in the CSC, where it accumulates and reaches the limit where a streaming instability becomes operational. We argue that gravitational instability, together with a streaming instability likely operating in the inner disk regions, constitute two concurrent planet-forming mechanisms, which may explain the observed diversity of exoplanetary orbits. Conclusions. We conclude that sophisticated models of the inner unresolved disk regions should be used when modeling the formation and evolution of gaseous and dusty protoplanetary disks.

In this article, we proceed to study convection as a possible factor of episodic accretion in protoplanetary disks. Within the model presented in Article~I, the accretion history is analyzed at different rates and areas of matter inflow from the envelope onto the disk. It is shown that the burst-like regime occurs in a wide range of parameters. The long-term evolution of the disk is also modeled, including the decreasing-with-time matter inflow from the envelope. It is demonstrated that the disk becomes convectively unstable and maintains burst-like accretion onto the star for several million years. Meanwhile, the instability expands to an area of several tens of astronomical units and gradually decreases with time. It is also shown that at early stages in the disk evolution, conditions arise for gravitational instability in the outer parts of the disk and for dust evaporation in the convectively unstable inner regions. The general conclusion of the study is that convection can serve as one of the mechanisms of episodic accretion in protostellar disks, but this conclusion needs to be verified using more consistent hydrodynamic models.