Related papers: Non-Stationary Discs and Instabilities
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…
In two previous publications$^{1,2}$, we have demonstrated that stationary rotation of magnetized plasma about a compact central object permits an enormous number of different MHD instabilities, with the well-known magneto-rotational…
The temperature in most parts of a protoplanetary disk is determined by irradiation from the central star. Numerical experiments of Watanabe \& Lin (2008) suggested that such disks, also called `passive disks', suffer from a thermal…
In this chapter, I present a summary of observational tests of the basic picture of disk accretion. An emphasis is placed on tests relevant to black holes, but many of the fundamental results are drawn from studies of other classes of…
Layered accretion is one of the inevitable ingredients in protoplanetary disks when disk turbulence is excited by magnetorotational instabilities (MRIs). In the accretion, disk surfaces where MRIs fully operate have a high value of disk…
We discuss the possibility that astrophysical accretion disks are dynamically unstable to non-axisymmetric disturbances with characteristic scales much smaller than the vertical scale height. The instability is studied using three methods:…
Young protoplanetary discs are expected to be gravitationally unstable, which can drive angular momentum transport as well as be a potential mechanism for planet formation. Gravitational instability is most prevalent in the outer disc where…
The phenomenological Disc Instability Model has been successful in reproducing the observed light curves of dwarf nova outbursts by invoking an enhanced Shakura-Sunyaev $\alpha$ parameter $\sim0.1-0.2$ in outburst compared to a low value…
We show that accretion disks in several compact X-ray binaries with hydrogen-depleted donors are likely subject to a thermal ionization instability, unless they are strongly irradiated. These disks are particularly interesting in that their…
A self-gravitating, differentially rotating galactic disc under vertical hydrostatic equilibrium is supported by the vertical pressure gradient force against the gravitational collapse. Such discs are known to support various bending modes…
We calculate self-consistent models of X-ray irradiated accretion discs in close binary systems. We show that a point X-ray source powered by accretion and located in the disc plane cannot modify the disc structure, mainly because of the…
The thermal instability of accretion disks is widely used to explain the activity of cataclysmic variables, but its development in protoplanetary disks has been studied in less detail. We present a semi-analytical stationary model for…
I review recent work on the radial transport of angular momentum in ionized, Keplerian accretion disks. Proposed mechanisms include hydrodynamic and MHD local instabilities and long range effects mediated by wave transport. The most…
We study the stability of poloidal magnetic fields anchored in a thin accretion disc. The two-dimensional hydrodynamics in the disc plane is followed by a grid-based numerical simulation including the vertically integrated magnetic forces.…
The radiation-driven warping instability discovered by Pringle holds considerable promise as the mechanism responsible for producing warped, precessing accretion disks in X-ray binaries. This instability is an inherently global mode of the…
[Abridged] The turbulent stresses that lead to angular momentum transport in accretion discs have often been treated as resulting from an isotropic effective viscosity, related to the pressure through the alpha parametrization of Shakura &…
Astrophysical disks are likely embedded in an ambient vertical magnetic field. This ambient field is known to drive magneto-rotational turbulence in the disk bulk but is also responsible for the launching of magnetized outflows at the…
We investigate the stability to nonaxisymmetric perturbations of an accretion disc in which a poloidal magnetic field provides part of the radial support against gravity. Interchange instability due to radial gradients in the magnetic field…
A complete analytical and numerical treatment of all magnetohydrodynamic waves and instabilities for radially stratified, magnetized accretion disks is presented. The instabilities are a possible source of anomalous transport. While…
Aspects of turbulence in protostellar accretion discs are being reviewed. The emergence of dead zones due to poor ionization and alternatives to the magneto-rotational instability are discussed. The coupling between dust and gas in…