Asymmetric Temperature Variations In Protoplanetary Disks. I. Linear Theory, Corotating Spirals, and Ring Formation
Protoplanetary disks can exhibit asymmetric temperature variations due to phenomena such as shadows cast by the inner disk or localized heating by young planets. We investigate the disk features induced by these asymmetric temperature variations. We find that spirals are initially excited, and then...
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2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adae0d |
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| author | Zhaohuan Zhu Shangjia Zhang Ted M. Johnson |
| author_facet | Zhaohuan Zhu Shangjia Zhang Ted M. Johnson |
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| description | Protoplanetary disks can exhibit asymmetric temperature variations due to phenomena such as shadows cast by the inner disk or localized heating by young planets. We investigate the disk features induced by these asymmetric temperature variations. We find that spirals are initially excited, and then break into two and reconnect to form rings. By carrying out linear analyses, we first study the spiral launching mechanism and find that the effects of azimuthal temperature variations share similarities with effects of external potentials. Specifically, rotating temperature variations launch steady spiral structures at Lindblad resonances, which corotate with the temperature patterns. When the cooling time exceeds the orbital period, these spiral structures are significantly weakened, and a checkerboard pattern may appear. A temperature variation of about 10% can induce spirals with order unity density perturbations, comparable to those generated by a thermal mass planet. We then study ring formation and find it is related to the coupling between azimuthal temperature variations and spirals outside the resonances. Such coupling leads to a radially varying angular momentum flux, which produces anomalous wave-driven accretion and forms dense rings separated by the wavelength of the waves. Finally, we speculate that spirals induced by temperature variations may contribute to disk accretion through nonlinear wave steepening and dissipation. Overall, considering that irradiation determines the temperature structure of protoplanetary disks, the change of irradiation both spatially or/and temporarily may produce observable effects in protoplanetary disks, especially spirals and rings in outer disks beyond tens of au. |
| format | Article |
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| spelling | doaj-art-c0e11b979db940b6b6efab4cd6eb59ea2025-08-20T02:14:28ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01980225910.3847/1538-4357/adae0dAsymmetric Temperature Variations In Protoplanetary Disks. I. Linear Theory, Corotating Spirals, and Ring FormationZhaohuan Zhu0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3616-6822Shangjia Zhang1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8537-9114Ted M. Johnson2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1570-2203Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nevada , 4505 South Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA ; zhaohuan.zhu@unlv.edu; Nevada Center for Astrophysics, University of Nevada , 4505 South Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nevada , 4505 South Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA ; zhaohuan.zhu@unlv.edu; Department of Astronomy, Columbia University , 538 West 120th Street, Pupin Hall, NY 10027, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nevada , 4505 South Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA ; zhaohuan.zhu@unlv.edu; Nevada Center for Astrophysics, University of Nevada , 4505 South Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USAProtoplanetary disks can exhibit asymmetric temperature variations due to phenomena such as shadows cast by the inner disk or localized heating by young planets. We investigate the disk features induced by these asymmetric temperature variations. We find that spirals are initially excited, and then break into two and reconnect to form rings. By carrying out linear analyses, we first study the spiral launching mechanism and find that the effects of azimuthal temperature variations share similarities with effects of external potentials. Specifically, rotating temperature variations launch steady spiral structures at Lindblad resonances, which corotate with the temperature patterns. When the cooling time exceeds the orbital period, these spiral structures are significantly weakened, and a checkerboard pattern may appear. A temperature variation of about 10% can induce spirals with order unity density perturbations, comparable to those generated by a thermal mass planet. We then study ring formation and find it is related to the coupling between azimuthal temperature variations and spirals outside the resonances. Such coupling leads to a radially varying angular momentum flux, which produces anomalous wave-driven accretion and forms dense rings separated by the wavelength of the waves. Finally, we speculate that spirals induced by temperature variations may contribute to disk accretion through nonlinear wave steepening and dissipation. Overall, considering that irradiation determines the temperature structure of protoplanetary disks, the change of irradiation both spatially or/and temporarily may produce observable effects in protoplanetary disks, especially spirals and rings in outer disks beyond tens of au.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adae0dProtoplanetary disksPlanet formationHydrodynamics |
| spellingShingle | Zhaohuan Zhu Shangjia Zhang Ted M. Johnson Asymmetric Temperature Variations In Protoplanetary Disks. I. Linear Theory, Corotating Spirals, and Ring Formation The Astrophysical Journal Protoplanetary disks Planet formation Hydrodynamics |
| title | Asymmetric Temperature Variations In Protoplanetary Disks. I. Linear Theory, Corotating Spirals, and Ring Formation |
| title_full | Asymmetric Temperature Variations In Protoplanetary Disks. I. Linear Theory, Corotating Spirals, and Ring Formation |
| title_fullStr | Asymmetric Temperature Variations In Protoplanetary Disks. I. Linear Theory, Corotating Spirals, and Ring Formation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Asymmetric Temperature Variations In Protoplanetary Disks. I. Linear Theory, Corotating Spirals, and Ring Formation |
| title_short | Asymmetric Temperature Variations In Protoplanetary Disks. I. Linear Theory, Corotating Spirals, and Ring Formation |
| title_sort | asymmetric temperature variations in protoplanetary disks i linear theory corotating spirals and ring formation |
| topic | Protoplanetary disks Planet formation Hydrodynamics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adae0d |
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