Related papers: The vertical shear instability in poorly ionised, …
We present the results of high-resolution, three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic simulations of the dynamics and formation of coherent, long-lived vortices in stably-stratified protoplanetary disks. Tall, columnar vortices that extend…
The streaming instability is a leading candidate mechanism to explain the formation of planetesimals. Yet, the role of this instability in the driving of turbulence in protoplanetary disks, given its fundamental nature as a linear…
During early phases of a protoplanetary disks's life, gravitational instabilities can produce significant mass transport, can dramatically alter disk structure, can mix and shock-process gas and solids, and may be instrumental in planet…
We use local numerical simulations to investigate the strength and nature of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in the outer regions of protoplanetary disks, where ambipolar diffusion is the dominant non-ideal MHD effect. The simulations…
In their early stages, protoplanetary discs are sufficiently massive to undergo gravitational instability (GI). This instability is thought to be involved in mass accretion, planet formation via gas fragmentation, the generation of spiral…
High-angular resolution observations at sub-millimeter/millimeter wavelengths of disks surrounding young stars have shown that their morphology is made of azimuthally-symmetric or point-symmetric substructures, in some cases with spiral…
Short-period super-Earth-sized planets are common. Explaining how they form near their present orbits requires understanding the structure of the inner regions of protoplanetary discs. Previous studies have argued that the hot inner…
Dust concentration in protoplanetary disks (PPDs) is the first step towards planetesimal formation, a crucial yet highly uncertain stage in planet formation. Although the streaming instability (SI) is widely recognized as a powerful…
The Vertical Shear Instability is one of two known mechanisms potentially active in the so-called dead zones of protoplanetary accretion disks. A recent analysis indicates that a subset of unstable modes shows unbounded growth - both as…
Hydrodynamical instabilities in disks around young stars depend on the thermodynamic stratification of the disk and on the local rate of thermal relaxation. Here, we map the spatial extent of unstable regions for the Vertical Shear…
The magnetorotational instability (MRI) is the most promising mechanism by which angular momentum is efficiently transported outwards in astrophysical discs. However, its application to protoplanetary discs remains problematic. These discs…
By constructing a global model based on 3D local magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) simulations, we show that the disk wind driven by magnetorotational instability (MRI) plays a significant role in the dispersal of the gas component of…
Turbulence and angular momentum transport in accretion disks remains a topic of debate. With the realization that dead zones are robust features of protoplanetary disks, the search for hydrodynamical sources of turbulence continues. A…
Gravitational instability (GI) controls the dynamics of young massive protoplanetary discs. Apart from facilitating gas accretion on to the central protostar, it must also impact on the process of planet formation: directly through…
Vortex formation through the Rossby wave instability (RWI) in protoplanetary discs has been invoked to play a role in planet formation theory, and suggested to explain the observation of large dust asymmetries in several transitional discs.…
We investigate the linear growth and vertical structure of the MRI in protoplanetary discs when dust grains are well mixed with the gas over the entire disc thickness. All the grains have the same radius (a = 0.1, 1 or 3 micron) and…
Protoplanetary disks often appear as multiple concentric rings in dust continuum emission maps and scattered light images. These features are often associated with possible young planets in these disks. Many non-planetary explanations have…
The destabilising effect of Hall diffusion in a Keplerian disc allows the MRI to occur for much lower ionisation levels than would otherwise be possible. However, simulations suggest that the consequences for the saturated state are not as…
We quantify the thermodynamic requirement for the Vertical Shear Instability and evaluate its relevance to realistic protoplanetary disks as a potential route to hydrodynamic turbulence.
The streaming instability is a promising mechanism to induce the formation of planetesimals. Nonetheless, this process has been found in previous studies to require either a dust-to-gas surface density ratio or a dust size that is enhanced…