Related papers: Surface Layer Accretion in Conventional and Transi…
This paper studies the response of a thin accretion disk to an external radial magnetic field. Our focus is on protoplanetary disks (PPDs), which are exposed during their later evolution to an intense, magnetized wind from the central star.…
The outpouring of radiation during an X-ray burst can affect the properties of accretion discs around neutron stars: the corona can cool and collapse, the inner regions can be bled away due to enhanced accretion, and the additional heating…
In earlier works we pointed out that the disk's surface layers are non-turbulent and thus highly conducting (or non-diffusive) because the hydrodynamic and/or magnetorotational (MRI) instabilities are suppressed high in the disk where the…
We present an analysis of several high-resolution Chandra grating observations of the X-ray binary pulsar Her X-1. With a total exposure of 170 ks, the observations are separated by years and cover three combinations of orbital and…
Continuum polarization over the UV-to-microwave range is due to dichroic extinction (or emission) by asymmetric, aligned dust grains. Because of both grain alignment and scattering physics, the wavelength dependence of the polarization,…
Anomalies in the abundance measurements of short lived radionuclides in meteorites indicate that the protosolar nebulae was irradiated by a high amount of energetic particles (E$\gtrsim$10 MeV). The particle flux of the contemporary Sun…
The atmospheres and accretion disks of planetary-mass and substellar companions provide an unprecedented look into planet and moon formation processes, most notably the frequency and lifetime of circumplanetary disks. In our ongoing effort…
The amount of high-energy stellar radiation reaching the surface of protoplanetary disks is essential to determine their chemistry and physical evolution. Here, we use millimetric and centimetric radio data to constrain the EUV luminosity…
The first stages of planet formation usually occur when the host star is still in a (relatively) dense star-forming region, where the effects of the external environment may be important for understanding the outcome of the planet formation…
We investigate the impact of photochemistry and X-ray ionization on the molecular composition of, and ionization fraction in, a protoplanetary disk surrounding a typical T Tauri star. We use a sophisticated physical model, which includes a…
We present our investigation of 319 Class II objects in Orion A observed by $Spitzer$/IRS. We also present the follow-up observation of 120 of these Class II objects in Orion A from IRTF/SpeX. We measure continuum spectral indices,…
Understanding how young stars gain their masses through disk-to-star accretion is of paramount importance in astrophysics. It affects our knowledge about the early stellar evolution, the disk lifetime and dissipation processes, the way the…
Accretion disks are highly unstable to magnetic instabilities driven by shear flow, where classically, the axisymmetric, weak-field Magneto-Rotational Instability (MRI) has received much attention through local WKB approximations. In…
The radioactive decay of aluminum-26 ($^{26}$Al) is an important heating source in early planet formation. Since its discovery, there have been several mechanisms proposed to introduce $^{26}$Al into protoplanetary disks, primarily through…
Protoplanetary disks are mainly heated by radiation from the central star. Since the incident stellar flux at any radius is sensitive to the disk structure near that location, an unstable feedback may be present. Previous investigations…
The formation of low-mass stars in molecular clouds involves accretion disks and jets, which are of broad astrophysical interest. Accreting stars represent the closest examples of these phenomena. Star and planet formation are also…
In many cases accretion proceeds from disks onto planets, stars, white dwarfs, and neutron stars via a boundary layer, a region of intense shear where gas transitions from a near-Keplerian speed to that of the surface. These regions are…
The gas-phase abundance of carbon, x_C = C/H, and its depletion factors are essential parameters for understanding the gas and solid compositions that are ultimately incorporated into planets. The majority of protoplanetary disks are born…
We show in this Letter that the spectral details of the FUV radiation fields have a large impact on the chemistry of protoplanetary disks surrounding T Tauri stars. We show that the strength of a realistic stellar FUV field is significantly…
We consider continuum free-free radio emission from the upper atmosphere of protoplanetary discs as a probe of the ionized luminosity impinging upon the disc. Making use of previously computed hydrodynamic models of disc photoevaporation…