Planet-disk interaction in the era of high-resolution observations - Jaehan Bae (Carnegie)

Origins Seminar presented on October 26, 2020.

Title: Planet-disk interaction in the era of high-resolution observations: the role of thermodynamics

Speaker: Jaehan Bae, Carnegie DTM

Abstract: Recent high-resolution observations of protoplanetary disks have imaged a plethora of substructures, including concentric rings/gaps and spiral arms, which hint at on-going planet formation. In this talk, I will introduce recent improvements in our understanding of planet-disk interaction theories. In particular, I will highlight the importance of using more realistic thermodynamics in numerical simulations to fully capture the interaction between planets and their birth disks. I will show that the cooling of the gas in the surface layers and outer regions of protoplanetary disks can be limited due to infrequent gas-dust collisions. The use of the isothermal equation of state or rapid cooling, which has been common in protoplanetary disk simulations, is therefore not justified. I will present a few examples of how the collision-limited slow cooling can change the outcome of planet-disk interaction and discuss their implications.