Dust diffusion and settling in the presence of collisions: Trapping (sub)micron grains in the midplane

TL;DR

This study investigates how collisions influence the vertical distribution of small grains in protoplanetary disks, revealing that such grains can become trapped in thin layers rather than being well-mixed with the gas.

Contribution

It introduces a Monte Carlo model accounting for collisions, settling, and turbulence to explain the trapping of (sub)micron grains in the disk midplane.

Findings

Small grains can be trapped in thin layers, not well-mixed with gas.

Collisional trapping is common at typical dust-to-gas ratios and turbulence levels.

Absence of trapping suggests low dust-to-gas ratio or dust removal processes.

Abstract

In protoplanetary disks, the distribution and abundance of small (sub)micron grains are important for a range of physical and chemical processes. For example, they dominate the optical depth at short wavelengths and their surfaces are the sites of many important chemical reactions such as the formation of water. Based on their aerodynamical properties (i.e., their strong dynamical coupling with the surrounding gas) it is often assumed that these small grains are well-mixed with the gas. Our goal is to study the vertical (re)distribution of grains taking into account settling, turbulent diffusion, as well as collisions with other dust grains. Assuming a fragmentation-limited background dust population, we developed a Monte Carlo approach that follows single monomers as they move through a vertical column of gas and become incorporated in different aggregates as they undergo sticking and fragmenting collisions. We find that (sub)micron grains are not necessarily well-mixed vertically, but can become trapped in a thin layer with a scale-height that is significantly smaller than that of the gas. This collisional trapping occurs when the timescale for diffusion is comparable to or longer than the collision timescale in the midplane and its effect is strongest when the most massive particles in the size-distribution show significant settling. Based on simulations and analytical considerations we conclude that for typical dust-to-gas ratios and turbulence levels, the collisional trapping of small grains should be a relatively common phenomenon. The absence of trapping could then indicate a low dust-to-gas ratio, possibly because a large portion of the dust mass has been removed through radial drift or is locked up in planetesimals.