Conditions for Gravitational Instability in Protoplanetary Disks

TL;DR

This paper investigates the conditions under which protoplanetary disks become gravitationally unstable, focusing on temperature, opacity, and disk models, to understand giant planet formation via gravitational instability.

Contribution

It derives a critical surface density for gravitational instability considering realistic opacity and thermal equilibrium, highlighting the role of ice formation in disk instability.

Findings

Disks tend to become unstable beyond 20 AU due to ice effects.

Close to the star, high temperature and Coriolis force inhibit fragmentation.

Gravitational instability is more likely in outer disk regions.

Abstract

Gravitational instability is one of considerable mechanisms to explain the formation of giant planets. We study the gravitational stability for the protoplanetary disks around a protostar. The temperature and Toomre's Q-value are calculated by assuming local equilibrium between viscous heating and radiative cooling (local thermal equilibrium). We assume constant $\alpha$ viscosity and use a cooling function with realistic opacity. Then, we derive the critical surface density $\Sigma_{\rm{c}}$ that is necessary for a disk to become gravitationally unstable as a function of $r$. This critical surface density $\Sigma_{\rm c}$ is strongly affected by the temperature dependence of the opacity. At the radius $r_{\rm c}\sim 20$AU, where ices form, the value of $\Sigma_{\rm c}$ changes discontinuously by one order of magnitude. This $\Sigma_{\rm c}$ is determined only by local thermal process and criterion of gravitational instability. By comparing a given surface density profile to $\Sigma_{\rm c}$, one can discuss the gravitational instability of protoplanetary disks. As an example, we discuss the gravitational instability of two semi-analytic models for protoplanetary disks. One is the steady state accretion disk, which is realized after the viscous evolution. The other is the disk that has the same angular momentum distribution with its parent cloud core, which corresponds to the disk that has just formed. As a result, it is found that the disks tend to become gravitationally unstable for $r\ge r_{\rm c}$ because ices enable the disks to become low temperature. In the region closer to the protostar than $r_{\rm c}$, it is difficult for a typical protoplanetary disk to fragment because of the high temperature and the large Coriolis force. From this result, we conclude that the fragmentation near the central star is possible but difficult.