Toroidal vortices as a solution to the dust migration problem

Abstract

Abstract In an earlier letter, we reported that dust settling in protoplanetary discs may lead to a dynamical dust–gas instability that produces global toroidal vortices. In this Letter, we investigate the evolution of a dusty protoplanetary disc with two different dust species (1 mm and 50 cm dust grains), under the presence of the instability. We show how toroidal vortices, triggered by the interaction of mm grains with the gas, stop the radial migration of metre-sized dust, potentially offering a natural and efficient solution to the dust migration problem.