Related papers: Protoplanet Express, a video game based on numeric…
Exoplanets with substantial Hydrogen/Helium atmospheres have been discovered in abundance, many residing extremely close to their parent stars. The extreme irradiation levels these atmospheres experience causes them to undergo hydrodynamic…
The purpose of this work is to explore a teaching methodology aimed at communicating topics and subjects not typically studied and analyzed in the (Italian) secondary school. We focused specifically on the use of videogames as a…
This comprehensive review summarizes our current understanding of the evolution of gas, solids and molecular ices in protoplanetary disks. Key findings related to disk physics and chemistry, both observationally and theoretically, are…
In star forming regions, we can observe different evolutionary stages of various objects and phenomena such as molecular clouds, protostellar jets and outflows, circumstellar disks, and protostars. However, it is difficult to directly…
Hydrodynamic simulations of protoplanetary discs with planets typically assume that the disc is viscously driven, even though magnetic disc winds are now considered the primary driver of angular momentum transport through the disc. Magnetic…
We developed a one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation code to investigate the long-term evolution of protoplanetary disks with low computational cost. In this simulation code, the physical processes necessary for protostellar…
Developing a theory of low-mass star formation ($\sim 0.1$ to 3~M$_{\odot}$) remains one of the most elusive and important goals of theoretical astrophysics. The star-formation process is the outcome of the complex dynamics of interstellar…
With the growing integration of smartphones into our daily lives, and their increased ease of use, mobile games have become highly popular across all demographics. People listen to music, play games or read the news while in transit or…
We develop a simplified model for studying the long-term evolution of giant planets in protoplanetary discs. The model accounts for the eccentricity evolution of the planets and the dynamics of eccentric discs under the influences of…
The origins of planets, and perhaps life itself, is intrinsically linked to the chemistry of planet formation. In this chapter we will attempt to explore the chemistry of planet-forming disks from the perspective of knowledge gained from…
The ensemble of now more than 250 discovered planetary systems displays a wide range of masses, orbits and, in multiple systems, dynamical interactions. These represent the end point of a complex sequence of events, wherein an entire…
We perform numerical simulations of a disc-planet system using various grid-based and smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) codes. The tests are run for a simple setup where Jupiter and Neptune mass planets on a circular orbit open a gap in…
An interactive binary star system simulation was developed to be showcased on an educational platform. The main purpose of the project is to provide insight into the orbital mechanics of such star systems with the help of a three-body…
We present local simulations that verify the linear streaming instability that arises from aerodynamic coupling between solids and gas in protoplanetary disks. This robust instability creates enhancements in the particle density in order to…
The great diversity of extrasolar planetary systems has challenged our understanding of how planets form, and how their orbits evolve as they form. Among the various processes that may account for this diversity, the gravitational…
Recent observations of gaps and non-axisymmetric features in the dust distributions of transition disks have been interpreted as evidence of embedded massive protoplanets. However, comparing the predictions of planet-disk interaction models…
The field of astronomy is experiencing a data explosion driven by significant advances in observational instrumentation, and classical methods often fall short of addressing the complexity of modern astronomical datasets. Probabilistic…
Fieldwork still is the first and foremost source of insight in many disciplines of the geosciences. Virtual fieldwork is an approach meant to enable scientists trained in fieldwork to apply these skills to a virtual representation of…
We study the time evolution of two protoplanets still embedded in a protoplanetary disk. The results of two different numerical approaches are presented and compared. In the first approach, the motion of the disk material is computed with…
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…