Related papers: A Simplified Model for the Secular Dynamics of Ecc…
We study the stability of gaps opened by a giant planet in a self-gravitating protoplanetary disc. We find a linear instability associated with both the self-gravity of the disc and local vortensity maxima which coincide with gap edges. For…
We investigate the orbital evolution of a system of N mutually interacting stars on initially circular orbits around the dominating central mass. We include perturbative influence of a distant axisymmetric source and an extended spherical…
Compact multi-planet systems containing super-Earths or sub-Neptunes, commonly found around solar-type stars, may be surrounded by external giant planet or stellar companions, which can shape the architechture and observability of the inner…
We study the three-dimensional evolution of a viscous protoplanetary disc which accretes gas material from a second protoplanetary disc during a close encounter in an embedded star cluster. The aim is to investigate the capability of the…
We investigate the accretion flow around a giant planet using two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations by studying the local region of accretion disk around the planet. The results show that, when the initial orbit of the planet embedded…
We consider two protoplanets gravitationally interacting with each other and a protoplanetary disc. The two planets orbit interior to a tidally maintained disc cavity while the disc interaction indices inward migration. When the migration…
In the Solar System, planets have a small inclination with respect to the equatorial plane of the Sun, but there is evidence that in extrasolar systems the inclination can be very high. This spin-orbit misalignment is unexpected, as planets…
I attempt to summarize our knowledge of planet formation in evolving protoplanetary discs. I first review the physics of disc evolution and dispersal. For most of the disc lifetime evolution is driven by accretion and photoevaporation, and…
A significant fraction of unstable multiple planet systems likely scatter during the transitional disc phase as gas damping becomes ineffectual. Using an ensemble of FARGO hydrodynamic simulations and MERCURY n-body integrations, we…
The growing body of observational data on extrasolar planets and protoplanetary disks has stimulated intense research on planet formation and evolution in the past few years. The extremely diverse, sometimes unexpected physical and orbital…
In a planetary system, a secular particle resonance occurs at a location where the precession rate of a test particle (e.g. an asteroid) matches the frequency of one of the precessional modes of the planetary system. We investigate the…
Recent observations of several protoplanetary discs have found evidence of departures from flat, circular motion in the inner regions of the disc. One possible explanation for these observations is a disc warp, which could be induced by a…
Using linear perturbation theory, we evaluate the time-dependent force exerted on an eccentric and inclined low-mass planet embedded in a gaseous protoplanetary disc with finite thermal diffusivity $\chi$. We assume the eccentricity and…
Gravitational scattering between massive planets has been invoked to explain the eccentricity distribution of extrasolar planets. For scattering to occur, the planets must either form in -- or migrate into -- an unstable configuration. In…
We investigate the interaction between a giant planet and a viscous circumstellar disk by means of high-resolution, two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations. We consider planet masses that range from 1 to 3 Jupiter masses (Mjup) and…
Most stars form in a clustered environment. Therefore, it is important to assess how this environment influences the evolution of protoplanetary discs around young stars. In turn, this affects their ability to produce planets and ultimately…
We formulate a local dynamical model of an eccentric disc in which the dominant motion consists of elliptical Keplerian orbits. The model is a generalization of the well known shearing sheet, and is suitable for both analytical and…
We study the interaction of a proto-planetary disk and a planet on a highly inclined orbit in the linear regime. The evolution of the planet is dominated by dynamical friction for planet masses above several Earth-masses. Smaller planets…
We describe an analytic model for an evolving protoplanetary disk driven by viscosity and a disk wind. The disk is heated by stellar irradiation and energy generated by viscosity. The evolution is controlled by 3 parameters: (i) the inflow…
We investigate the hypothesis that interactions between a giant planet and the disk from which it forms promote eccentricity growth. These interactions are concentrated at discrete Lindblad and corotation resonances. Interactions at…