Radiation hydrodynamical models of the inner rim in protoplanetary disks

TL;DR

This paper presents the first radiation hydrodynamical models of the inner rim in protoplanetary disks around Herbig Ae stars, revealing stable, dynamically consistent structures that match observational constraints and influence planet formation processes.

Contribution

It introduces axisymmetric radiation hydrodynamical models of the sublimation front in protoplanetary disks, incorporating detailed physics and comparing well with observations.

Findings

Models are dynamically stable and match observational constraints.

A hot dust halo naturally forms between the star and the inner rim.

A pressure maximum near 1000 K can trap solids and promote crystalline silicate formation.

Abstract

Many stars host planets orbiting within a few astronomical units (AU). The occurrence rate and distributions of masses and orbits vary greatly with the host stars mass. These close planets origins are a mystery that motivates investigating protoplanetary disks central regions. A key factor governing the conditions near the star is the silicate sublimation front, which largely determines where the starlight is absorbed, and which is often called the inner rim. We present the first radiation hydrodynamical modeling of the sublimation front in the disks around the young intermediate-mass stars called Herbig Ae stars. The models are axisymmetric, and include starlight heating, silicate grains sublimating and condensing to equilibrium at the local, time-dependent temperature and density, and accretion stresses parametrizing the results of MHD magneto-rotational turbulence models. The results compare well with radiation hydrostatic solutions, and prove to be dynamically stable. Passing the model disks into Monte Carlo radiative transfer calculations, we show that the models satisfy observational constraints on the inner rims location. A small optically-thin halo of hot dust naturally arises between the inner rim and the star. The inner rim has a substantial radial extent, corresponding to several disk scale heights. While the fronts overall position varies with the stellar luminosity, its radial extent depends on the mass accretion rate. A pressure maximum develops near the location of thermal ionization at temperatures about 1000 K. The pressure maximum is capable of halting solid pebbles radial drift and concentrating them in a zone where temperatures are sufficiently high for annealing to form crystalline silicates.