Gap Formation by Planets in Turbulent Protostellar Disks
Wayne F. Winters, John F. Hawley, Steven A. Balbus
Virginia Institute of Theoretical Astronomy,
Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia,
Charlottesville, VA 22903; jh8h@virginia.edu; sb@virginia.edu
Astrophysical Journal, 589, 543
Abstract:
The processes of planet formation and migration depend intimately on
the interaction between planetesimals and the gaseous disks in which
they form. The formation of gaps in the disk can severely limit the
mass of the planet and its migration toward the protostar. We
investigate the process of gap formation through magnetohydrodynamic
simulations in which internal stress arises self-consistently from
turbulence generated by the magnetorotational instability. The
simulations investigate three different planetary masses and two disk
temperatures to bracket the tidal (thermal) and viscous gap opening
conditions. The results are in general qualitative agreement with
previous simulations of gap formation, but show significant
differences. In the presence of MHD turbulence, the gaps produced are
shallower and asymmetrically wider than those produced with pure
hydrodynamics. The rate of gap formation is also slowed, with
accretion occurring across the developing gap. Viscous hydrodynamics
does not adequately describe the evolution, however, because planets
capable of producing gaps also may be capable of affecting the level
MHD turbulence in different regions of the disk.
Subject headings:
protostellar disks -- planet formation -- instabilities -- MHD
This paper is based on research presented in the PhD thesis
"Planetary Gap Formation in Turbulent Protostellar Accretion Disks"
by Wane F. Winters, Department of Astronomy, University of
Virginia. The following animations are from the thesis work
and illustrate specific simulations in the paper.
TABLE
PROTOPLANET DISK ANIMATIONS
