Thermodynamical Structure of Protoplanetary Disks

Details Thermodynamical Structure of Protoplanetary Disks Thermodynamical Structure of Protoplanetary Disks

Dec 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufm.p12b..05h&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #P12B-05

Biology

[5205] Planetary Sciences: Astrobiology / Formation Of Stars And Planets, [6050] Planetary Sciences: Comets And Small Bodies / Plasma And Mhd Instabilities

Scientific paper

The thermodynamics of protoplanetary disks determines chemical and physical evolution of dust and gas in the disks, and thus is relevant for understanding the origin and formation of planetary systems. In this paper, the thermodynamical structure of protoplanetary disks around low-mass stars is studied using three-dimensional radiation magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. Local patches of the disk are modeled using the shearing box approximation with vertical gravity. For simplicity, the dust and gas are well mixed and have the same temperature, and ideal MHD is assumed. The frequency-integrated radiation field is evolved using the flux-limited diffusion approximation, adopting thermally averaged opacities. The heating arises from the dissipation of MHD turbulence driven by magnetorotational instability due to differential rotation of the disk, and the cooling comes from infrared radiation losses. Irradiation by the central star is treated by injecting appropriate amount of thermal energy near the disk photosphere for visible lights. The results indicate the heating is more concentrated in the disk atmosphere than in the classical model. The single-point heating rate in the atmosphere fluctuates by orders of magnitude over time intervals comparable to the orbital period due to magnetic reconnection and shocks, while the patch of disk overall sustains dynamical and thermodynamical equilibrium over many cooling times. We will discuss implications of our numerical results for line and continuum emission from protoplanetary disks.

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