Modelling circumstellar discs with 3D radiation hydrodynamics

TL;DR

This paper develops a combined grid-based radiative transfer and SPH hydrodynamics method to model circumstellar discs, analyzing the effects of resolution on temperature and structure, and applying it to a T-Tauri star disc.

Contribution

It introduces a robust approach for constructing gridded density from SPH particles and demonstrates its application to realistic disc modeling.

Findings

SED and temperature are sensitive to inner edge resolution.

Vertical motions influence mid-plane temperature through radiation transport.

Disc reaches hydrostatic and radiative equilibrium over time.

Abstract

We present results from combining a grid-based radiative transfer code with a Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics code to produce a flexible system for modelling radiation hydrodynamics. We use a benchmark model of a circumstellar disc to determine a robust method for constructing a gridded density distribution from SPH particles. The benchmark disc is then used to determine the accuracy of the radiative transfer results. We find that the SED and the temperature distribution within the disc are sensitive to the representation of the disc inner edge, which depends critically on both the grid and SPH resolution. The code is then used to model a circumstellar disc around a T-Tauri star. As the disc adjusts towards equilibrium vertical motions in the disc are induced resulting in scale height enhancements which intercept radiation from the central star. Vertical transport of radiation enables these perturbations to influence the mid-plane temperature of the disc. The vertical motions decay over time and the disc ultimately reaches a state of simultaneous hydrostatic and radiative equilibrium.