Large-scale Density Structures in Magneto-rotational Disk Turbulence

Details Large-scale Density Structures in Magneto-rotational Disk Turbulence Large-scale Density Structures in Magneto-rotational Disk Turbulence

Jan 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21331806y&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #213, #318.06; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.297

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Turbulence generated by the magneto-rotational instability (MRI) is a strong candidate to drive accretion flows in disks, including sufficiently ionized regions of protoplanetary disks. The MRI is often studied in local shearing boxes, which model a small section of the disk at high resolution. I will present simulations of large, stratified shearing boxes which extend up to 10 gas scale-heights across. These simulations are a useful bridge to fully global disk simulations.
We find that MRI turbulence produces large-scale, axisymmetric density perturbations . These structures are part of a zonal flow --- analogous to the banded flow in Jupiter's atmosphere --- which survives in near geostrophic balance for tens of orbits. The launching mechanism is large-scale magnetic tension generated by an inverse cascade. We demonstrate the robustness of these results by careful study of various box sizes, grid resolutions, and microscopic diffusion parameterizations. These gas structures can trap solid material (in the form of large dust or ice particles) with important implications for planet formation. Resolved disk images at mm-wavelengths (e.g. from ALMA) will verify or constrain the existence of these structures.

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