Mass Flow and Accretion through gaps in Accretion Discs

Details Mass Flow and Accretion through gaps in Accretion Discs Mass Flow and Accretion through gaps in Accretion Discs

1998-09-21

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9809253v1

Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc.303:696-710,1999

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

15 pages, Latex, uses MN Latex style v1.4, accepted by MN. Paper, figures and mpeg simulation available at http://www.tpi.un

Scientific paper

10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.02198.x

We study the structure and dynamics of the gap created by a protoplanet in an accretion disc. The hydrodynamic equations for a flat, two-dimensional, non-selfgravitating protostellar accretion disc with an embedded, Jupiter sized protoplanet on a circular orbit are solved. To simulate possible accretion of mass onto the protoplanet we continually remove mass from the interior of the planet's Roche lobe which is monitored. Firstly, it is shown that consistent results independent on numerical issues (such as boundary or initial conditions, artificial viscosity or resolution) can be obtained. Then, a detailed parameter study delineates the influence of the disc viscosity and pressure on the magnitude of the accretion rate. We find that, even after the formation of a gap in the disc, the planet is still able to accrete more mass from the disc. This accretion occurs from regions of the disc which are radially exterior and interior to the planet's orbital radius. The rate depends on the magnitude of the viscosity and vertical thickness of the disc. For a disc viscosity alpha=10^{-3} and vertical thickness H/r=0.05 we estimate the time scale for the accumulation of one Jupiter mass to be of order hundred thousand years. For a larger(smaller) viscosity and disc thickness this accretion rate is increasing(decreasing). For a very small viscosity (alpha < 5 10^{-4}) the mass accretion rate through the gap onto the planet is markedly reduced, and the corresponding accretion time scale becomes larger than the viscous evolution time of the disc.

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