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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Constraining Protoplanetary Disc Accretion And Young Planets Using Alma Kinematic Observations, Ian Rabago, Zhaohuan Zhu
Constraining Protoplanetary Disc Accretion And Young Planets Using Alma Kinematic Observations, Ian Rabago, Zhaohuan Zhu
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research
Recent ALMA molecular line observations have revealed 3D gas velocity structure in protoplanetary discs, shedding light on mechanisms of disc accretion and structure formation. (1) By carrying out viscous simulations, we confirm that the disc's velocity structure differs dramatically using vertical stress profiles from different accretion mechanisms. Thus, kinematic observations tracing flows at different disc heights can potentially distinguish different accretion mechanisms. On the other hand, the disc surface density evolution is mostly determined by the vertically integrated stress. The sharp disc outer edge constrained by recent kinematic observations can be caused by a radially varying alpha in the disc. …
Global 3d Radiation Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations For Fu Ori's Accretion Disc And Observational Signatures Of Magnetic Fields, Zhaohuan Zhu, Yan-Fei Jiang, James M. Stone
Global 3d Radiation Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations For Fu Ori's Accretion Disc And Observational Signatures Of Magnetic Fields, Zhaohuan Zhu, Yan-Fei Jiang, James M. Stone
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research
FU Ori is the prototype of FU Orionis systems that are outbursting protoplanetary discs. Magnetic fields in FU Ori’s accretion discs have previously been detected using spectropolarimetry observations for Zeeman effects. We carry out global radiation ideal MHD simulations to study FU Ori’s inner accretion disc. We find that (1) when the disc is threaded by vertical magnetic fields, most accretion occurs in the magnetically dominated atmosphere at z ∼ R, similar to the ‘surface accretion’ mechanism in previous locally isothermal MHD simulations. (2) A moderate disc wind is launched in the vertical field simulations with a terminal speed of …
Gamma-Ray Bursts Induced By Turbulent Reconnection, A. Lazarian, Bing Zhang, Siyao Xu
Gamma-Ray Bursts Induced By Turbulent Reconnection, A. Lazarian, Bing Zhang, Siyao Xu
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research
We revisit the Internal-Collision-induced MAgnetic Reconnection and Turbulence model of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in view of the advances made in understanding of both relativistic magnetic turbulence and relativistic turbulent magnetic reconnection. We identify the kink instability as the most natural way of changing the magnetic configuration to release the magnetic free energy through magnetic reconnection, as well as driving turbulence that enables fast turbulent reconnection. We show that this double role of the kink instability is important for explaining the prompt emission of GRBs. Our study confirms the critical role that turbulence plays in boosting reconnection efficiency in GRBs and …
On The Broad-Band Synchrotron Spectra Of Pulsar Wind Nebulae, Siyao Xu, Noel Klinger, Oleg Kargaltsev, Bing Zhang
On The Broad-Band Synchrotron Spectra Of Pulsar Wind Nebulae, Siyao Xu, Noel Klinger, Oleg Kargaltsev, Bing Zhang
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research
As shown by broad-band observations, pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) are characterized by a broken power-law spectrum of synchrotron emission. Based on the modern magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence theories, we investigate the re-acceleration of electrons in the PWN through the adiabatic stochastic acceleration (ASA), which arises from fundamental dynamics of MHD turbulence. The ASA acts to flatten the injected energy spectrum of electrons at low energies, while synchrotron cooling results in a steep spectrum of electrons at high energies. Their dominance in different energy ranges leads to a flat radio spectrum (Fν ) and a steep X-ray spectrum. Our analytical spectral shapes …
Diffusion And Concentration Of Solids In The Dead Zone Of A Protoplanetary Disk, Chao-Chin Yang, Mordecai-Mark Mac Low, Anders Johansen
Diffusion And Concentration Of Solids In The Dead Zone Of A Protoplanetary Disk, Chao-Chin Yang, Mordecai-Mark Mac Low, Anders Johansen
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research
The streaming instability is a promising mechanism to drive the formation of planetesimals in protoplanetary disks. To trigger this process, it has been argued that sedimentation of solids onto the mid-plane needs to be efficient, and therefore that a quiescent gaseous environment is required. It is often suggested that dead-zone or disk-wind structure created by non-ideal magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) effects meets this requirement. However, simulations have shown that the mid-plane of a dead zone is not completely quiescent. In order to examine the concentration of solids in such an environment, we use the local-shearing-box approximation to simulate a particlegas system with …
Streaming Instability Of Multiple Particle Species In Protoplanetary Disks, Noemi Schaffer, Chao-Chin Yang, Anders Johansen
Streaming Instability Of Multiple Particle Species In Protoplanetary Disks, Noemi Schaffer, Chao-Chin Yang, Anders Johansen
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research
The radial drift and diffusion of dust particles in protoplanetary disks affect both the opacity and temperature of such disks, as well as the location and timing of planetesimal formation. In this paper, we present results of numerical simulations of particle-gas dynamics in protoplanetary disks that include dust grains with various size distributions. We have considered three scenarios in terms of particle size ranges, one where the Stokes number τs = 10−1−100, one where τs = 10−4−10−1, and finally one where τs= 10−3−100. Moreover, we considered both discrete and continuous distributions in particle size. In accordance with previous works we …