987 research outputs found
Atmospheric Dynamics of Short-period Extra Solar Gas Giant Planets I: Dependence of Night-Side Temperature on Opacity
More than two dozen short-period Jupiter-mass gas giant planets have been
discovered around nearby solar-type stars in recent years, several of which
undergo transits, making them ideal for the detection and characterization of
their atmospheres. Here we adopt a three-dimensional radiative hydrodynamical
numerical scheme to simulate atmospheric circulation on close-in gas giant
planets. In contrast to the conventional GCM and shallow water algorithms, this
method does not assume quasi hydrostatic equilibrium and it approximates
radiation transfer from optically thin to thick regions with flux-limited
diffusion. In the first paper of this series, we consider
synchronously-spinning gas giants. We show that a full three-dimensional
treatment, coupled with rotationally modified flows and an accurate treatment
of radiation, yields a clear temperature transition at the terminator. Based on
a series of numerical simulations with varying opacities, we show that the
night-side temperature is a strong indicator of the opacity of the planetary
atmosphere. Planetary atmospheres that maintain large, interstellar opacities
will exhibit large day-night temperature differences, while planets with
reduced atmospheric opacities due to extensive grain growth and sedimentation
will exhibit much more uniform temperatures throughout their photosphere's. In
addition to numerical results, we present a four-zone analytic approximation to
explain this dependence.Comment: 35 Pages, 13 Figure
Tidal Barrier and the Asymptotic Mass of Proto Gas-Giant Planets
Extrasolar planets found with radial velocity surveys have masses ranging
from several Earth to several Jupiter masses. While mass accretion onto
protoplanetary cores in weak-line T-Tauri disks may eventually be quenched by a
global depletion of gas, such a mechanism is unlikely to have stalled the
growth of some known planetary systems which contain relatively low-mass and
close-in planets along with more massive and longer period companions. Here, we
suggest a potential solution for this conundrum. In general, supersonic infall
of surrounding gas onto a protoplanet is only possible interior to both of its
Bondi and Roche radii. At a critical mass, a protoplanet's Bondi and Roche
radii are equal to the disk thickness. Above this mass, the protoplanets' tidal
perturbation induces the formation of a gap. Although the disk gas may continue
to diffuse into the gap, the azimuthal flux across the protoplanets' Roche lobe
is quenched. Using two different schemes, we present the results of numerical
simulations and analysis to show that the accretion rate increases rapidly with
the ratio of the protoplanet's Roche to Bondi radii or equivalently to the disk
thickness. In regions with low geometric aspect ratios, gas accretion is
quenched with relatively low protoplanetary masses. This effect is important
for determining the gas-giant planets' mass function, the distribution of their
masses within multiple planet systems around solar type stars, and for
suppressing the emergence of gas-giants around low mass stars
On disc driven inward migration of resonantly coupled planets with application to the system around GJ876
We consider two protoplanets gravitationally interacting with each other and
a protoplanetary disc. The two planets orbit interior to a tidally maintained
disc cavity while the disc interaction indices inward migration. When the
migration is slow enough, the more rapidly migrating outer protoplanet
approaches and becomes locked in a 2:1 commensurability with the inner one.
This is maintained in subsequent evolution. We study this evolution using a
simple anaytic model, full hydrodynamic 2D simulations of the disc planet
system and longer time N body integrations incorporating simple prescriptions
for the effect of the disc on the planet orbits. The eccentricity of the
protoplanets are found to be determined by the migration rate induced in the
outer planet orbit by the external disc. We apply our results to the recently
discovered resonant planets around GJ876. Simulation shows that a disc with
parameters expected for protoplanetary discs causes trapping in the 2:1
commensurability when the planets orbit in an inner cavity and that
eccentricities in the observed range may be obtained.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, submitted to A&A on 30/03/200
On the observability of bow shocks of Galactic runaway OB stars
Massive stars that have been ejected from their parent cluster and
supersonically sailing away through the interstellar medium (ISM) are
classified as exiled. They generate circumstellar bow shock nebulae that can be
observed. We present two-dimensional, axisymmetric hydrodynamical simulations
of a representative sample of stellar wind bow shocks from Galactic OB stars in
an ambient medium of densities ranging from n_ISM=0.01 up to 10.0/cm3.
Independently of their location in the Galaxy, we confirm that the infrared is
the most appropriated waveband to search for bow shocks from massive stars.
Their spectral energy distribution is the convenient tool to analyze them since
their emission does not depend on the temporary effects which could affect
unstable, thin-shelled bow shocks. Our numerical models of Galactic bow shocks
generated by high-mass (~40 Mo) runaway stars yield H fluxes which
could be observed by facilities such as the SuperCOSMOS H-Alpha Survey. The
brightest bow shock nebulae are produced in the denser regions of the ISM. We
predict that bow shocks in the field observed at Ha by means of
Rayleigh-sensitive facilities are formed around stars of initial mass larger
than about 20 Mo. Our models of bow shocks from OB stars have the emission
maximum in the wavelength range 3 <= lambda <= 50 micrometer which can be up to
several orders of magnitude brighter than the runaway stars themselves,
particularly for stars of initial mass larger than 20 Mo.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures. Accepted to MNRAS (2016
The Vertical Structure of Planet-induced Gaps in Proto-Planetary Discs
Giant planets embedded in circumstellar discs are expected to open gaps in
these discs. We examine the vertical structure of the gap edges. We find that
the planet excites spiral arms with significant (Mach number of a half)
vertical motion of the gas, and discuss the implications of these motions. In
particular, the spiral arms will induce strong vertical stirring of the dust,
making the edge appeared `puffed up' relative to the bulk of the disc.
Infra-red observations (sensitive to dust) would be dominated by the light from
the thick inner edge of the disc. Sub-millimetre observations (sensitive to gas
velocities) would appear to be hot in `turbulent' motions (actually the ordered
motion caused by the passage of the spiral arms), but cold in chemistry.
Resolved sub-millimetre maps of circumstellar discs might even be able to
detect the spiral arms directly.Comment: Revision adds new data, and corrects physical intepretatio
3D-MHD simulations of an accretion disk with star-disk boundary layer
We present global 3D MHD simulations of geometrically thin but unstratified
accretion disks in which a near Keplerian disk rotates between two bounding
regions with initial rotation profiles that are stable to the MRI. The inner
region models the boundary layer between the disk and an assumed more slowly
rotating central, non magnetic star. We investigate the dynamical evolution of
this system in response to initial vertical and toroidal fields imposed in a
variety of domains contained within the near Keplerian disk. Cases with both
non zero and zero net magnetic flux are considered and sustained dynamo
activity found in runs for up to fifty orbital periods at the outer boundary of
the near Keplerian disk. Simulations starting from fields with small radial
scale and with zero net flux lead to the lowest levels of turbulence and
smoothest variation of disk mean state variables. For our computational set up,
average values of the Shakura & Sunyaev (1973) parameter in the
Keplerian disk are typically Magnetic field eventually always
diffuses into the boundary layer resulting in the build up of toroidal field
inward angular momentum transport and the accretion of disk material. The mean
radial velocity, while exhibiting large temporal fluctuations is always
subsonic. Simulations starting with net toroidal flux may yield an average
While being characterized by one order of magnitude larger
average , simulations starting from vertical fields with large radial
scale and net flux may lead to the formation of persistent non-homogeneous,
non-axisymmetric magnetically dominated regions of very low density.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
Dynamical evolution and leading order gravitational wave emission of Riemann-S binaries
An approximate strategy for studying the evolution of binary systems of
extended objects is introduced. The stars are assumed to be polytropic
ellipsoids. The surfaces of constant density maintain their ellipsoidal shape
during the time evolution. The equations of hydrodynamics then reduce to a
system of ordinary differential equations for the internal velocities, the
principal axes of the stars and the orbital parameters. The equations of motion
are given within Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalism. The special case when
both stars are axially symmetric fluid configurations is considered. Leading
order gravitational radiation reaction is incorporated, where the quasi-static
approximation is applied to the internal degrees of freedom of the stars. The
influence of the stellar parameters, in particular the influence of the
polytropic index , on the leading order gravitational waveforms is studied.Comment: 31 pages, 7 figures, typos correcte
Orbital Migration and Mass Accretion of Protoplanets in 3D Global Computations with Nested Grids
We investigate the evolution of protoplanets with different masses embedded
in an accretion disk, via global fully three-dimensional hydrodynamical
simulations. We consider a range of planetary masses extending from one and a
half Earth's masses up to one Jupiter's mass, and we take into account
physically realistic gravitational potentials of forming planets. In order to
calculate accurately the gravitational torques exerted by disk material and to
investigate the accretion process onto the planet, the flow dynamics has to be
thoroughly resolved on long as well as short length scales. We achieve this
strict resolution requirement by applying a nested-grid refinement technique
which allows to greatly enhance the local resolution. Our results from
altogether 51 simulations show that for large planetary masses, approximately
above a tenth of the Jupiter's mass, migration rates are relatively constant,
as expected in type II migration regime and in good agreement with previous
two-dimensional calculations. In a range between seven and fifteen Earth's
masses, we find a dependency of the migration speed on the planetary mass that
yields time scales considerably longer than those predicted by linear
analytical theories. This property may be important in determining the overall
orbital evolution of protoplanets. The growth time scale is minimum around
twenty Earth-masses, but it rapidly increases for both smaller and larger mass
values. Significant differences between two- and three-dimensional calculations
are found in particular for objects with masses smaller than ten Earth-masses.
We also derive an analytical approximation for the numerically computed mass
growth rates.Comment: 28 pages, 12 figures. To appear in The Astrophysical Journal vol.586
(March 20, 2003 issue
Causal Viscosity in Accretion Disc Boundary Layers
The structure of the boundary layer region between the disc and a
comparatively slowly rotating star is studied using a causal prescription for
viscosity. The vertically integrated viscous stress relaxes towards its
equilibrium value on a relaxation timescale , which naturally yields a
finite speed of propagation for viscous information. For a standard alpha
prescription with alpha in the range 0.1-0.01, and ratio of viscous speed to
sound speed in the range 0.02-0.5, details in the boundary layer are strongly
affected by the causality constraint. We study both steady state polytropic
models and time dependent models, taking into account energy dissipation and
transport. Steady state solutions are always subviscous with a variety of
profiles which may exhibit near discontinuities. For alpha =0.01 and
small viscous speeds, the boundary layer adjusted to a near steady state. A
long wavelength oscillation generated by viscous overstability could be seen at
times near the outer boundary. Being confined there, the boundary layer
remained almost stationary. However, for alpha =0.1 and large viscous speeds,
short wavelength disturbances were seen throughout which could significantly
affect the power output in the boundary layer. This could be potentially
important in producing time dependent behaviour in accreting systems such as
CVs and protostars.Comment: 10 LateX pages, requires lamuphys.sty and psfig.sty, 3 figures
included, to appear in the Proceedings of the EARA Workshop on Accretion
Disks (Garching, Oct. 96), Lecture Notes in Physic
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