Potential Vorticity Evolution of a Protoplanetary Disk with an Embedded Protoplanet

Abstract

We present two-dimensional inviscid hydrodynamic simulations of a protoplanetary disk with an embedded planet, emphasizing the evolution of potential vorticity (the ratio of vorticity to density) and its dependence on numerical resolutions. By analyzing the structure of spiral shocks made by the planet, we show that progressive changes of the potential vorticity caused by spiral shocks ultimately lead to the excitation of a secondary instability. We also demonstrate that very high numerical resolution is required to both follow the potential vorticity changes and identify the location where the secondary instability is first excited. Low-resolution results are shown to give the wrong location. We establish the robustness of a secondary instability and its impact on the planet's torque. After the saturation of the instability, the disk shows large-scale nonaxisymmetry, causing the torque on the planet to oscillate with large amplitude. The impact of the oscillating torque on the protoplanet's migration remains to be investigated.