Recurrent Planet Formation and Intermittent Protostellar Outflows Induced by Episodic Mass Accretion

TL;DR

This study models the formation of circumstellar disks, revealing episodic fragmentation, protostellar outflows, and luminosity variations driven by gravitational interactions and magnetic field dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed simulation of disk fragmentation and episodic outflows, highlighting the role of substellar objects in protostellar evolution and variability.

Findings

Disk fragmentation occurs repeatedly due to gravitational instability.

Substellar objects influence accretion and outflow activity.

Protostellar luminosity varies intermittently with fragment dynamics.

Abstract

The formation and evolution of a circumstellar disk in magnetized cloud cores is investigated from prestellar core stage until sim 10^4 yr after protostar formation. In the circumstellar disk, fragmentation first occurs due to gravitational instability in a magnetically inactive region, and substellar-mass objects appear. The substellar-mass objects lose their orbital angular momenta by gravitational interaction with the massive circumstellar disk and finally fall onto the protostar. After this fall, the circumstellar disk increases its mass by mass accretion and again induces fragmentation. The formation and falling of substellar-mass objects are repeated in the circumstellar disk until the end of the main accretion phase. In this process, the mass of fragments remain small, because the circumstellar disk loses its mass by fragmentation and subsequent falling of fragments before it becomes very massive. In addition, when fragments orbit near the protostar, they disturb the inner disk region and promote mass accretion onto the protostar. The orbital motion of substellar-mass objects clearly synchronizes with the time variation of the accretion luminosity of the protostar. Moreover, as the objects fall, the protostar shows a strong brightening for a short duration. The intermittent protostellar outflows are also driven by the circumstellar disk whose magnetic field lines are highly tangled owing to the orbital motion of fragments. The time-variable protostellar luminosity and intermittent outflows may be a clue for detecting planetary-mass objects in the circumstellar disk.