Wind-driven Accretion in Transitional Protostellar Disks

TL;DR

This paper investigates how magnetized winds can explain the ongoing accretion observed in transitional protostellar disks with depleted inner cavities, emphasizing the role of magnetic coupling and gas conditions.

Contribution

It proposes that magnetized winds naturally drive accretion at observed rates in transitional disks, supported by physical conditions consistent with wind models.

Findings

Accretion speeds are at least transsonic in disk cavities.

Gas inside cavities is molecular and neutrally charged, suitable for wind-driven accretion.

Magnetic coupling conditions support wind-driven accretion mechanisms.

Abstract

Transitional protostellar disks have inner cavities heavily depleted in dust and gas, yet most show signs of ongoing accretion, often at rates comparable to full disks. We show that recent constraints on the gas surface density in a few well-studied disk cavities imply that the accretion speed is at least transsonic. We propose that this is the natural result of accretion driven by magnetized winds. Typical physical conditions of the gas inside such cavities are estimated for plausible X-ray and FUV radiation fields. The gas is molecular and predominantly neutral, with a dimensionless ambipolar parameter in the right general range for wind solutions of the type developed by K\"onigl, Wardle, and others. That is to say, the density of ions and electrons is sufficient for moderately good coupling to the magnetic field, but not so good that the magnetic flux need be dragged inward by the accreting neutrals.