Dusty Disk Research Articles

UX Ori stars eclipses by large-scale disc perturbations

ABSTRACT We simulate the polarized radiative transfer in the vicinity of the UX Ori type stars during their minima. Our model of an eclipse by an extended disc perturbation generalizes the compact gas-dust cloud eclipse model. We apply the radiative transfer method based on enumeration using the directions grid to model the influence of the perturbation extensions along azimuth and radius on the eclipse depth and parameters of the linear polarization. We investigate eclipses both for the flared disc and for the disc with a puffing-up in the dust sublimation zone. The puffing-up is obtained by adding a dusty disc wind to the model. Comparison with a compact cloud eclipse model reveals that the eclipse by a large-scale azimuthally extended perturbation may be significantly deeper and show a greater linear polarization degree. We also demonstrate that the perturbation extension together with the disc puffing-up can strongly affect the degree of polarization and colour index of the star during the eclipse. The position angle of the linear polarization may also change markedly during and after an eclipse by a large-scale perturbation for the model with a puffed-up inner rim. Also, in this model, the maximum degree of the linear polarization can be achieved not at the brightness minimum but closer to the end of the eclipse. We discuss the modelling results in the context of the photopolarimetric observations of UX Ori stars.

The GRAVITY young stellar object survey

Context.T Tauri stars are surrounded by dust and gas disks. As material reservoirs from which matter is accreted onto the central star and planets are built, these protoplanetary disks play a central role in star and planet formation.Aims.We aim at spatially resolving at sub-astronomical unit (sub-au) scales the innermost regions of the protoplanetary disks around a sample of T Tauri stars to better understand their morphology and composition.Methods.Thanks to the sensitivity and the better spatial frequency coverage of the GRAVITY instrument of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer, we extended our homogeneous data set of 27 Herbig stars and collected near-infraredK-band interferometric observations of 17 T Tauri stars, spanning effective temperatures and luminosities in the ranges of ~4000–6000 K and ~0.4–10L⊙, respectively. We focus on the continuum emission and develop semi-physical geometrical models to fit the interferometric data and search for trends between the properties of the disk and the central star.Results.As for those of their more massive counterparts, the Herbig Ae/Be stars, the best-fit models of the inner rim of the T Tauri disks correspond to wide rings. The GRAVITY measurements extend the radius-luminosity relation toward the smallest luminosities (0.4–10L⊙). As observed previously, in this range of luminosities, theR∝L1∕2trend line is no longer valid, and theK-band sizes measured with GRAVITY appear to be larger than the predicted sizes derived from sublimation radius computation. We do not see a clear correlation between theK-band half-flux radius and the mass accretion rate onto the central star. Besides, having magnetic truncation radii in agreement with theK-band GRAVITY sizes would require magnetic fields as strong as a few kG, which should have been detected, suggesting that accretion is not the main process governing the location of the half-flux radius of the inner dusty disk. The GRAVITY measurements agree with models that take into account the scattered light, which could be as important as thermal emission in theKband for these cool stars. TheN-to-Kband size ratio may be a proxy for disentangling disks with silicate features in emission from disks with weak and/or in absorption silicate features (i.e., disks with depleted inner regions and/or with large gaps). The GRAVITY data also provide inclinations and position angles of the inner disks. When compared to those of the outer disks derived from ALMA images of nine objects of our sample, we detect clear misalignments between both disks for four objects.Conclusions.The combination of improved data quality with a significant and homogeneous sample of young stellar objects allows us to revisit the pioneering works done on the protoplanetary disks byK-band interferometry and to test inner disk physics such as the inner rim morphology and location.

The GRAVITY young stellar object survey

Context. The formation and evolution of planetary systems impact the evolution of the primordial accretion disk in its dust and gas content. HD 141569 is a peculiar object in this context as it is the only known pre-main sequence star characterized by a hybrid disk. Observations with 8 m class telescopes probed the outer-disk structure showing a complex system of multiple rings and outer spirals. Furthermore, interferometric observations attempted to characterize its inner 5 au region, but derived limited constraints. Aims. The goal of this work was to explore with new high-resolution interferometric observations the geometry, properties, and dynamics of the dust and gas in the internal regions of HD 141569. Methods. We observed HD 141569 on milliarcsecond scales with GRAVITY/VLTI in the near-infrared (IR) at low (R ~ 20) and high (R ~ 4000) spectral resolution. We interpreted the interferometric visibilities and spectral energy distribution with geometrical models and through radiative transfer techniques using the code MCMax to constrain the dust emission. We analyzed the high spectral resolution quantities (visibilities and differential phases) to investigate the properties of the Brackett-γ (Brγ) line emitting region. Results. Thanks to the combination of three different epochs, GRAVITY resolves the inner dusty disk in the K band with squared visibilities down to V2 ~ 0.8. A differential phase signal is also detected in the region of the Brγ line along most of the six baselines. Data modeling shows that an IR excess of about 6% is spatially resolved and that the origin of this emission is confined in a ring of material located at a radius of ~1 au from the star with a width ≲0.3 au. The MCMax modeling suggests that this emission could originate from a small amount (1.4 × 10−8 M⊕) of quantum-heated particles, while large silicate grain models cannot reproduce at the same time the observational constraints on the properties of near-IR and mid-IR fluxes. The high spectral resolution differential phases in the Brγ line clearly show an S-shape that can be best reproduced with a gaseous disk in Keplerian rotation, confined within 0.09 au (or 12.9 R⋆). This is also hinted at by the double-peaked Brγ emission line shape, known from previous observations and confirmed by GRAVITY. The modeling of the continuum and gas emission shows that the inclination and position angle of these two components are consistent with a system showing relatively coplanar rings on all scales. Conclusions. With a new and unique observational dataset on HD 141569, we show that the complex disk of this source is composed of a multitude of rings on all scales. This aspect makes HD 141569 a potentially unique source to investigate planet formation and disk evolution in intermediate-mass pre-main sequence stars.

Bridging the Gap between Protoplanetary and Debris Disks: Separate Evolution of Millimeter and Micrometer-sized Dust

Abstract The connection between the nature of a protoplanetary disk and that of a debris disk is not well understood. Dust evolution, planet formation, and disk dissipation likely play a role in the processes involved. We aim to reconcile both manifestations of dusty circumstellar disks through a study of optically thin Class III disks and how they correlate to younger and older disks. In this work, we collect literature and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array archival millimeter fluxes for 85 disks (8%) of all Class III disks across nearby star-forming regions. We derive millimeter-dust masses M dust and compare these with Class II and debris disk samples in the context of excess infrared luminosity, accretion rate, and age. The mean M dust of Class III disks is 0.29 ± 0.19 M ⊕. We propose a new evolutionary scenario wherein radial drift is very efficient for nonstructured disks during the Class II phase resulting in a rapid M dust decrease. In addition, we find possible evidence for long infrared protoplanetary disk timescales, ∼8 Myr, consistent with overall slow disk evolution. In structured disks, the presence of dust traps allows for the formation of planetesimal belts at large radii, such as those observed in debris disks. We propose therefore that the planetesimal belts in debris disks are the result of dust traps in structured disks, whereas protoplanetary disks without dust traps decrease in dust mass through radial drift and are therefore undetectable as debris disks after the gas dissipation. These results provide a hypothesis for a novel view of disk evolution.

Velocity-imaging the rapidly precessing planetary disc around the white dwarf HE 1349–2305 using Doppler tomography

ABSTRACT The presence of planetary material in white dwarf atmospheres, thought to be accreted from a dusty debris disc produced via the tidal disruption of a planetesimal, is common. Approximately 5 per cent of these discs host a co-orbital gaseous component detectable via emission from atomic transitions – usually the 8600 Å Ca ii triplet. These emission profiles can be highly variable in both morphology and strength. Furthermore, the morphological variations in a few systems have been shown to be periodic, likely produced by an apsidally precessing asymmetric disc. Of the known gaseous debris discs, that around HE 1349–2305 has the most rapidly evolving emission-line morphology, and we present updated spectroscopy of the Ca ii triplet of this system. The additional observations show that the emission-line morphologies vary periodically and consistently, and we constrain the period to two aliases of 459 ± 3 and 502 ± 3 d. We produce images of the Ca ii triplet emission from the disc in velocity space using Doppler tomography – only the second such imaging of a white dwarf debris disc. We suggest that the asymmetric nature of these velocity images is generated by gas moving on eccentric orbits with radially dependent excitation conditions via photoionization from the white dwarf. We also obtained short-cadence (≃4 min) spectroscopy to search for variability on the time-scale of the disc’s orbital period (≃hours) due to the presence of a planetesimal, and rule out variability at a level of ≃1.4 per cent.

Infrared Excesses Around Bright White Dwarfs from Gaia and unWISE. II

Abstract Infrared excesses around white dwarf stars indicate the presence of various astrophysical objects of interest, including companions and debris disks. In this second paper of a series, we present follow-up observations of infrared excess candidates from Gaia and unWISE discussed in the first paper, Paper I. We report space-based infrared photometry at 3.6 and 4.5 micron for 174 white dwarfs from the Spitzer Space Telescope and ground-based near-infrared J, H, and K photometry of 235 white dwarfs from Gemini Observatory with significant overlap between Spitzer and Gemini observations. These data are used to confirm or rule out the observed unWISE infrared excess. From the unWISE-selected candidate sample, the most promising infrared excess sample comes from both color and flux excess, which has a Spitzer confirmation rate of 95%. We also discuss a method to distinguish infrared excess caused by stellar or sub-stellar companions from potential dust disks. In total, we confirm the infrared excess around 62 white dwarfs, 10 of which are likely to be stellar companions. The remaining 52 bright white dwarfs with infrared excess beyond two microns has the potential to double the known sample of white dwarfs with dusty exoplanetary debris disks. Follow-up high-resolution spectroscopic studies of a fraction of confirmed excess white dwarfs in this sample have discovered emission from gaseous dust disks. Additional investigations will be able to expand the parameter space from which dust disks around white dwarfs are found.

Polarization Measurements of Selected Young Stars with Circumstellar Dusty Disks

Abstract BVRI polarization measurements of 14 selected young stars with circumstellar dust disks are presented. The interstellar polarization in the direction of these stars is not significant. The observed polarization data and its wavelength-dependence indicate that it is intrinsic, due to scattering by circumstellar, asymmetric dusty disks/envelopes.

The inner hot dust in the torus of NGC 1068

Context. The central region of NGC 1068 is one of the closest and most studied active galactic nuclei. It is known to be type 2, meaning that its accretion disk is obscured by a large amount of dust and gas. The main properties of the obscuring structure are still to be determined. Aims. We aim to model the inner edge of this structure, where the hot dust responsible for the near-infrared emission reaches its sublimation temperature. Methods. We used several methods to interpret the K-band interferometric observables from a GRAVITY/VLTI observation of the object. At first, we used simple geometrical models in image reconstructions to determine the main 2D geometrical properties of the source. In a second step, we tried to reproduce the observables with K-band images produced by 3D radiative transfer simulations of a heated dusty disk. We explore various parameters to find an optimal solution and a model consistent with all the observables. Results. The three methods are consistent in their description of the image of the source, an elongated structure with ∼4 × 6 mas dimensions and its major axis along the northwest–southeast direction. The results from all three methods suggest that the object resembles an elongated ring rather than an elongated thin disk, with the northeast edge appearing less luminous than the southwest one. The best 3D model is a thick disk with an inner radius r = 0.21−0.03+0.02 pc and a half-opening angle α1/2 = 21 ± 8° observed with an inclination i = 44−610° and PA = 150−138°. A high density of dust n = 5−2.5+5 M⊙ pc−3 is required to explain the contrast between the two edges by self-absorption from the closer one. The overall structure is itself obscured by a large foreground obscuration AV ∼ 75. Conclusions. The hot dust is not responsible for the obscuration of the central engine. The geometry and the orientation of the structure are different from those of the previously observed maser and molecular disks. We conclude that a single disk is unable to account for these differences, and favor a description of the source where multiple rings originating from different clouds are entangled around the central mass.

Orbital Migration and Circularization of Tidal Debris by Alfvén-wave Drag: Circumstellar Debris and Pollution around White Dwarfs

Abstract A significant fraction of white dwarfs (WDs) exhibit signs of ongoing accretion of refractory elements at rates ∼103–107 kg s−1, among which, 37 WDs were detected to harbor dusty debris disks. Such a concurrence requires not only fertile reservoirs of planetary material but also a high duty cycle of metal delivery. It has been commonly suggested that this material could be supplied by solar system analogs of Main Belt asteroids or Kuiper Belt objects. Here we consider the primary progenitors of WD pollutants as a population of residual high-eccentricity planetesimals, devolatilized during the stellar giant phases. Equivalent to the solar system’s long-period comets, they are scattered to the proximity of WDs by perturbations from remaining planets, Galactic tides, passing molecular clouds, and nearby stars. These objects undergo downsizing when they venture within the tidal disruption limit. We show quantitatively how the breakup condition and fragment sizes are determined by material strength and gravity. Thereafter, the fragments’ semimajor axes need to decay by at least ∼6 orders of magnitude before their constituents are eventually accreted onto the surface of WDs. We investigate the orbital evolution of these fragments around WDs and show that WDs’ magnetic fields induce an Alfvén-wave drag during their periastron passages and rapidly circularize their orbits. This process could be responsible for the observed accretion rates of heavy elements and the generation of circum-WD debris disks. Speculative implications are that giant planets may be common around WDs’ progenitors and that they may still be bound to some WDs today.

How Sublimation Delays the Onset of Dusty Debris Disk Formation Around White Dwarf Stars.

Although numerous white dwarf stars host dusty debris disks, the temperature distribution of these stars differs significantly from the white dwarf population as a whole. Dusty debris disks exist exclusively around white dwarfs cooler than 27,000 K. This is all the more enigmatic given that the formation processes of dusty debris disks should favor younger, hotter white dwarfs, which likely host more dynamically unstable planetary systems. Here we apply a sophisticated material sublimation model to white dwarf systems to show that these statistics are actually a natural result of the interplay of thermal and tidal forces, and show how they define the circumstellar regions where dusty debris disks can form. We demonstrate that these processes tend to prevent stability against both sublimative destruction and reaccretion into planetesimals for rocky materials until white dwarfs cool to below ~25,000-32,000 K, in agreement with the observed limit of ~27,000 K. For pure water ice, this critical temperature is less than 2,700 K (requiring a cooling age older the universe); this precludes pure water ice-rich debris disks forming through the accepted two-step mechanism. The critical temperature is size-dependent; more massive white dwarfs could potentially host dusty debris disks at warmer temperatures.. Our model suggests that the location of the disks within the PG 0010+280, GD 56, GD 362, and PG 1541+651 systems are consistent with a forsterite-dominated olivine composition. We also find that very cool white dwarfs may simultaneously host multiple, independently formed dusty debris disks, consistent with observations of the LSPM J0207+3331 system.

Host galaxy and orientation differences between different AGN types

Aims. The main purpose of this study is to investigate aspects regarding the validity of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) unification paradigm (UP). In particular, we focus on the AGN host galaxies, which according to the UP should show no systematic differences depending on the AGN classification. Methods. For the purpose of this study, we used (a) the spectroscopic Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 14 catalogue, in order to select and classify AGNs using emission line diagnostics, up to a redshift of z = 0.2, and (b) the Galaxy Zoo Project catalogue, which classifies SDSS galaxies in two broad Hubble types: spirals and ellipticals. Results. We find that the fraction of type 1 Seyfert nuclei (Sy1) hosted in elliptical galaxies is significantly larger than the corresponding fraction of any other AGN type, while there is a gradient of increasing spiral-hosts from Sy1 to LINER, type 2 Seyferts (Sy2) and composite nuclei. These findings cannot be interpreted within the simple unified model, but possibly by a co-evolution scheme for supermassive black holes and galactic bulges. Furthermore, for the case of spiral host galaxies we find the Sy1 population to be strongly skewed towards face-on configurations, while the corresponding Sy2 population range in all host galaxy orientation configurations has a similar, but not identical, orientation distribution to star-forming galaxies. These results also cannot be interpreted by the standard unification paradigm, but point towards a significant contribution of the galactic disc to the obscuration of the nuclear region. This is also consistent with the observed preference of Sy1 nuclei to be hosted by ellipticals, that is, the dusty disc of spiral hosts contributes to the obscuration of the broad-line region, and thus relatively more ellipticals are expected to appear hosting Sy1 nuclei.

About the modelling of the SED for the inner boundary of protoplanetary discs at the lower stellar mass regime

ABSTRACT In order to improve the physical interpretation about innermost dusty regions in protoplanetary discs around brown dwarf (BD), and even very low mass star (VLMS), we present a grid of models taking into account two different sets: (i) The set called standard model, that simulates an axisymmetric dusty disc with an inner curved wall. (ii) The perturbed one called non-standard where the axisymmetry of the inner edge has been broken. We have achieved a fitting for the disc structure able to explain the spectral energy distribution (SED). As the main condition, we assume that the changes of the inner wall geometry in the tongue-like shape depend on the Rayleigh–Taylor instability (R-TIns) generated in the inner disc edge. For each object, we parametrize the shape of the inner wall to find a time-dependent model that enables us to explain the photometric near-Infrared variability and connect the changes on the inner disc structure with the amplitude of such variability. We re-analysed photometric measurements from near to mid-infrared wavelengths of a sample of 6 BDs and one VLMS in different cloud associations which were previously studied by other authors. We also show that the flux change calculated between the non-standard and the standard configurations models the observed variability in LRLL 1679. The magnitude changes due to these fluctuations slightly depend on the wavelength and they can present differences of up to 0.9 mag. We suggest that if the R-TIns persist enough time, the features in the protoplanetary inner disc, e.g. inner holes or gaps evolve.

Multiepoch Optical Images of IRC+10216 Tell about the Central Star and the Adjacent Environment

Abstract Six images of IRC+10216 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope at three epochs in 2001, 2011, and 2016 are compared in the rest frame of the central carbon star. An accurate astrometry has been achieved with the help of Gaia Data Release 2. The positions of the carbon star in the individual epochs are determined using its known proper motion, defining the rest frame of the star. In 2016, a local brightness peak with compact and red nature is detected at the stellar position. A comparison of the color maps between 2016 and 2011 epochs reveals that the reddest spot moved along with the star, suggesting a possibility of it being the dusty material surrounding the carbon star. The relatively red, ambient region is distributed in an Ω shape and corresponds well to the dusty disk previously suggested based on near-infrared polarization observations. In a larger scale, differential proper motion of multiple ring-like patterns in the rest frame of the star is used to derive the average expansion velocity of transverse wind components, resulting in ∼12.5 km s−1(d/123 pc), where d is the distance to IRC+10216. Three-dimensional geometry is implied from its comparison with the line-of-sight wind velocity determined from half widths of submillimeter emission line profiles of abundant molecules. Uneven temporal variations in brightness for different searchlight beams and anisotropic distribution of the extended halo are revisited in the context of the stellar light illumination through a porous envelope with postulated longer-term variations for a period of ≲10 yr.

Streaming instability in a global patch simulation of protoplanetary disks

Aims. In recent years, sub-millimeter (mm) observations of protoplanetary disks have revealed an incredible diversity of substructures in the dust emission. An important result was the finding that dust grains of mm size are embedded in very thin dusty disks. This implies that the dust mass fraction in the midplane becomes comparable to that of the gas, increasing the importance of the interaction between the two components there. Methods. We use numerical 2.5D simulations to study the interaction between gas and dust in fully globally stratified disks. To this end, we employ the recently developed dust grain module of the PLUTO code. Our model focuses on a typical T Tauri disk model, simulating a short patch of the disk at 10 au which includes grains of a constant Stokes number of St = 0.01 and St = 0.1, corresponding to grains with sizes of 0.9 cm and 0.9 mm, respectively, for the given disk model. Results. By injecting a constant pebble flux at the outer domain, the system reaches a quasi-steady state of turbulence and dust concentrations driven by the streaming instability. For our given setup, and using resolutions up to 2500 cells per scale height, we resolve the streaming instability that leads to local dust clumping and concentrations. Our results show dust density values of around 10–100 times the gas density with a steady-state pebble flux of between 3.5 × 10−4 and 2.5 × 10−3 MEarth yr−1 for the models with St = 0.01 and St = 0.1. Conclusions. Grain size and pebble flux for model St = 0.01 compare well with dust evolution models of the first million years of disk evolution. For those grains, the scatter opacity dominates the extinction coefficient at mm wavelengths. These types of global dust and gas simulations are a promising tool for studies of the gas and dust evolution at pressure bumps in protoplanetary disks.

The circumstellar matter of type II intermediate luminosity optical transients (ILOTs)

I find that a ≃ 0.1 − 1 M ⊙ outflowing equatorial dusty disk (torus) that the binary system progenitor of an intermediate luminosity optical transient (ILOT) ejects several years to several months before and during the outburst can reduce the total emission to an equatorial observer by two orders of magnitude and shifts the emission to wavelengths of mainly λ ≳ 10 μm. This is termed a type II ILOT (ILOT II). To reach this conclusion, I use calculations of type II active galactic nuclei and apply them to the equatorial ejecta (disk/torus) of ILOTs II. This reduction in emission can last for tens of years after outburst. Most of the radiation escapes along the polar directions. The attenuation of the emission for wavelengths of λ < 5 μm can be more than three orders of magnitude, and the emission at λ ≲ 2 μ m is negligible. Jets that the binary system launches during the outburst can collide with polar CSM and emit radiation above the equatorial plane and dust in the polar outflow can reflect emission from the central source. Therefore, during the event itself the equatorial observer might detect an ILOT. I strengthen the previously suggested ILOT II scenario to the event N6946-BH1, where a red giant star disappeared in the visible.

Measuring the ratio of the gas and dust emission radii of protoplanetary disks in the Lupus star-forming region

We performed a comprehensive demographic study of the CO extent relative to dust of the disk population in the Lupus clouds in order to find indications of dust evolution and possible correlations with other disk properties. We increased the number of disks of the region with measured RCO and Rdust from observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to 42, based on the gas emission in the 12CO J = 2−1 rotational transition and large dust grains emission at ~0.89 mm. The CO integrated emission map is modeled with an elliptical Gaussian or Nuker function, depending on the quantified residuals; the continuum is fit to a Nuker profile from interferometric modeling. The CO and dust sizes, namely the radii enclosing a certain fraction of the respective total flux (e.g., R68%), are inferred from the modeling. The CO emission is more extended than the dust continuum, with a R68%CO/R68%dust median value of 2.5, for the entire population and for a subsample with high completeness. Six disks, around 15% of the Lupus disk population, have a size ratio above 4. Based on thermo-chemical modeling, this value can only be explained if the disk has undergone grain growth and radial drift. These disks do not have unusual properties, and their properties spread across the population’s ranges of stellar mass (M⋆), disk mass (Mdisk), CO and dust sizes (RCO, Rdust), and mass accretion of the entire population. We searched for correlations between the size ratio and M⋆, Mdisk, RCO, and Rdust: only a weak monotonic anticorrelation with the Rdust is found, which would imply that dust evolution is more prominent in more compact dusty disks. The lack of strong correlations is remarkable: the sample covers a wide range of stellar and disk properties, and the majority of the disks have very similar size ratios. This result suggests that the bulk of the disk population may behave alike and be in a similar evolutionary stage, independent of the stellar and disk properties. These results should be further investigated, since the optical depth difference between CO and dust continuum might play a major role in the observed size ratios of the population. Lastly, we find a monotonic correlation between the CO flux and the CO size. The results for the majority of the disks are consistent with optically thick emission and an average CO temperature of around 30 K; however, the exact value of the temperature is difficult to constrain.

White dwarfs with planetary remnants in the era of Gaia – I. Six emission line systems

ABSTRACT White dwarfs with emission lines from gaseous debris discs are among the rarest examples of planetary remnant hosts, but at the same time they are key objects for studying the final evolutionary stage of planetary systems. Making use of the large number of white dwarfs identified in Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2), we are conducting a survey of planetary remnants and here we present the first results of our search: six white dwarfs with gaseous debris discs. This first publication focuses on the main observational properties of these objects and highlights their most unique features. Three systems in particular stand out: WD J084602.47+570328.64 displays an exceptionally strong infrared excess that defies the standard model of a geometrically thin, optically thick dusty debris disc; WD J213350.72+242805.93 is the hottest gaseous debris disc host known with $\mbox{$T_{\mathrm{eff}}$}=29\,282$ K; and WD J052914.32–340108.11 in which we identify a record number of 51 emission lines from five elements. These discoveries shed light on the underlying diversity in gaseous debris disc systems and bring the total number of these objects to 21. With these numbers we can now start looking at the properties of these systems as a class of objects rather than on a case-by-case basis.

Dynamical dust traps in misaligned circumbinary discs: analytical theory and numerical simulations

ABSTRACT Recent observations have shown that circumbinary discs can be misaligned with respect to the binary orbital plane. The lack of spherical symmetry, together with the non-planar geometry of these systems, causes differential precession which might induce the propagation of warps. While gas dynamics in such environments is well understood, little is known about dusty discs. In this work, we analytically study the problem of dust traps formation in misaligned circumbinary discs. We find that pile-ups may be induced not by pressure maxima, as the usual dust traps, but by a difference in precession rates between the gas and dust. Indeed, this difference makes the radial drift inefficient in two locations, leading to the formation of two dust rings whose position depends on the system parameters. This phenomenon is likely to occur to marginally coupled dust particles (St ≳ 1) as both the effect of gravitational and drag force are considerable. We then perform a suite of 3D Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) numerical simulations to compare the results with our theoretical predictions. We explore the parameter space, varying stellar mass ratio, disc thickness, radial extension, and we find a general agreement with the analytical expectations. Such dust pile-up prevents radial drift, fosters dust growth and may thus promote the planet formation in circumbinary discs.

Collision rates of planetesimals near mean-motion resonances

ABSTRACT In circumstellar discs, collisional grinding of planetesimals produces second-generation dust. While it remains unclear whether this ever becomes a major component of the total dust content, the presence of such dust, and potentially the substructure within it, can be used to explore a disc’s physical conditions. A perturbing planet produces non-axisymmetric structures and gaps in the dust, regardless of its origin. The dynamics of planetesimals, however, will be very different than that of small dust grains due to weaker gas interactions. Therefore, planetesimal collisions could create dusty disc structures that would not exist otherwise. In this work, we use N-body simulations to investigate the collision rate profile of planetesimals near mean-motion resonances. We find that a distinct bump or dip feature is produced in the collision profile, the presence of which depends on the libration width of the resonance and the separation between the peri- and apocentre distances of the edges of the resonance. The presence of one of these two features depends on the mass and eccentricity of the planet. Assuming that the radial dust emission traces the planetesimal collision profile, the presence of a bump or dip feature in the dust emission at the 2:1 mean-motion resonance can constrain the orbital properties of the perturbing planet. This assumption is valid, so long as radial drift does not play a significant role during the collisional cascade process. Under this assumption, these features in the dust emission should be marginally observable in nearby protoplanetary discs with ALMA.

A Physical Model for a Radiative, Convective Dusty Disk in AGN

Abstract An accretion disk in an Active Galactic Nucleus harbors and shields dust from external illumination. Our model shows that, at the midplane of the disk around an M BH = 107 M ⊙ black hole, dust can exist at 0.1 pc from the black hole, compared to 0.5 pc outside of the disk where such self-shielding is constrained. We construct a physical model of a disk region approximately located between the radius of dust sublimation at the disk midplane and the radius at which dust sublimes at the disk surface. Our main conclusion is that, for a wide range of model parameters such as local accretion rate and/or opacity, the accretion disk’s own radiation pressure on dust significantly influences its vertical structure. In this region, convection plays important role in the vertical transport of energy. When the local accretion rate exceeds 2.5M ⊙ yr, the 10−2 pc scale disk is supercritical with respect to dust opacity. Such a disk puffs up and transforms from geometrically thin to slim. Our model fits into the narrative of a “failed wind” scenario of Czerny &amp; Hryniewicz and the “compact torus” model of Baskin &amp; Laor, incorporating them as variations of the radiative dusty disk model.