Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Dec 2001
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001mnras.328..485c&link_type=abstract
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 328, Issue 2, pp. 485-491.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
185
Accretion, Accretion Discs, Circumstellar Matter, Planetary Systems: Formation, Stars: Pre-Main-Sequence
Scientific paper
We explore ultraviolet switch models for the dispersal of circumstellar discs in T Tauri stars that involve both photoevaporation by the central star and viscous evolution. We show that in combination these processes generate the observed `two-time-scale' behaviour for the dispersal of such discs, whereby the disc is rapidly dispersed at the end of its life on a time-scale that is a small fraction of the disc lifetime. This switch is activated when the accretion rate through the disc declines to a low level (a few times 10-10Msolaryr-1) such that it roughly matches the rate of photoevaporative mass loss from the disc outside 5-10au. At this point, the inner disc is deprived of further replenishment from larger radii and empties on to the central star on its own short viscous time-scale. This causes the rapid (~105-yr) decline in accretion rate on to the central star and in all disc-related emission shortward of 10μm. We discuss the implications of this model for the detection of millimetre emission around weak-line T Tauri stars, and also point out the consequences of such a sudden draining for planet formation in the inner regions of circumstellar discs.
Clarke Catherine J.
Gendrin Aline
Sotomayor Marcos
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