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The Evolution Of A Circumplanetary Disc With A Dead Zone, Cheng Chen, Chao Chin Yang, Rebecca G. Martin, Zhaohuan Zhu

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research

© 2021 Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. We investigate whether the regular Galilean satellites could have formed in the dead zone of a circumplanetary disc. A dead zone is a region of weak turbulence in which the magnetorotational instability is suppressed, potentially an ideal environment for satellite formation. With the grid-based hydrodynamic code FARGO3D, we examine the evolution of a circumplanetary disc model with a dead zone. Material accumulates in the dead zone of the disc leading to a higher total mass and but a similar temperature profile compared to a fully turbulent disc model. The tidal torque increases …