Disk planet interactions and early evolution in young planetary systems

Abstract: We study and review disk protoplanet interactions using local shearing box simulations. These suffer the disadvantage of having potential artefacts arising from periodic boundary conditions but the advantage, when compared to global simulations, of being able to capture much of the dynamics close to the protoplanet at high resolution for low computational cost. Cases with and without self sustained MHD turbulence are considered. The conditions for gap formation and the transition from type I migration are investigated and found to depend on whether the single parameter M_p R^3/(M_* H^3), with M_p, M_*, R and H being the protoplanet mass, the central mass, the orbital radius and the disk semi-thickness respectively exceeds a number of order unity. We also investigate the coorbital torques experienced by a moving protoplanet in an inviscid disk. This is done by demonstrating the equivalence of the problem for a moving protoplanet to one where the protoplanet is in a fixed orbit which the disk material flows through radially as a result of the action of an appropriate external torque. For sustainable coorbital torques to be realized a quasi steady state must be realized in which the planet migrates through the disk without accreting significant mass. In that case although there is sensitivity to computational parameters, in agreement with earlier work by Masset & Papaloizou (2003) based on global simulations, the coorbital torques are proportional to the migration speed and result in a positive feedback on the migration, enhancing it and potentially leading to a runaway. This could lead to a fast migration for protoplanets in the Saturn mass range in massive disks and may be relevant to the mass period correlation for extrasolar planets which gives a preponderance of sub Jovian masses at short orbital period.

Review text

The discovery of extrasolar planets has resulted in increased investigation of theories of planet formation. Possible formation scenarios for gas giant planets are caused either by direct gravitational instability occurring in a young protostellar disc, or by the accumulation of a solid core that undergoes rapid gas accretion once its mass has reached a critical value. The planetary formation is likely to be initiated at significantly greater orbital radii than those currently observed, implying that the orbital migration displaces the planets closer to the central star. Disc protoplanet interaction provides a natural migration mechanism, and here the author reviews local disc simulations performed using a local shearing box.

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MOCCT: A numerical technique for astrophysical MHD

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