Nonaxisymmetric instabilities in self-gravitating disks. II. Linear and quasi-linear analyses

Abstract

We studied global nonaxisymmetric hydrodynamic instabilities in an extensive collection of hot, self-gravitating polytropic disk systems, systems that covered a wide expanse of the parameter space relevant to protostellar and protoplanetary systems. We examined equilibrium disk models varying three parameters: the ratio of the inner to outer equatorial radii, the ratio of star mass to disk mass, and the rotation law exponent q. We took the polytropic index n=1.5 and examined the exponents q=1.5 and 2, and the transitional one q=1.75. For each of these sets of parameters, we examined models with inner to outer radius ratios from 0.1 to 0.75, and star mass to disk mass ratios from 0 to 103. We numerically calculated the growth rates and oscillation frequencies of low-order nonaxisymmetric disk modes, modes with azimuthal dependence ∝e imϕ . Low-m modes are found to dominate with the character and strength of instability strongly dependent on disk self-gravity. Representatives of each mode type are examined in detail, and torques and mass transport rates are calculated.