Streaming Instability of Multiple Particle Species in Protoplanetary Disks

TL;DR

This study uses numerical simulations to explore how multiple particle sizes interact via streaming instability in protoplanetary disks, affecting dust dynamics, diffusion, and planetesimal formation.

Contribution

It presents new multi-species simulation results showing the impact of particle size distributions on streaming instability and dust dynamics in protoplanetary disks.

Findings

Large particles trigger streaming instability and turbulence.

Radial drift of large particles is reduced in multi-species simulations.

Small particles tend to move outward and are stirred above the midplane.

Abstract

The radial drift and diffusion of dust particles in protoplanetary disks affect both the opacity and temperature of such disks as well as the location and timing of planetesimal formation. In this paper, we present results of numerical simulations of particle-gas dynamics in protoplanetary disks that include dust grains with various size distributions. We consider three scenarios in terms of particle size ranges, one where the Stokes number $\tau_{\rm{s}} = 10^{-1} - 10^0$, one where $\tau_{\rm{s}} = 10^{-4} - 10^{-1}$ and finally one where $\tau_{\rm{s}} = 10^{-3} - 10^{0}$. Moreover, we consider both discrete and continuous distributions in particle size. In accordance with previous works we find in our multi-species simulations that different particle sizes interact via the gas and as a result their dynamics changes compared to the single-species case. The larger species trigger the streaming instability and create turbulence that drives the diffusion of the solid materials. We measure the radial equilibrium velocity of the system and find that the radial drift velocity of the large particles is reduced in the multi-species simulations and that the small particle species move on average outwards. We also vary the steepness of the size distribution, such that the exponent of the solid number density distribution, $\rm{d}\it{N}/\rm{d}\it{a} \propto \it{a^{-q}}$, is either $q = 3$ or $q = 4$. We measure the scale height of the particles and observe that small grains are stirred up well above the sedimented midplane layer where the large particles reside. Our measured diffusion and drift parameters can be used in coagulation models for planet formation as well as to understand relative mixing of the components of primitive meteorites (matrix, chondrules and CAIs) prior to inclusion in their parent bodies.