Ring formation and dust dynamics in wind-driven protoplanetary discs: global simulations

TL;DR

This study uses global MHD simulations to explore how magnetic fields and winds in protoplanetary discs lead to ring formation and influence dust dynamics, matching recent astronomical observations.

Contribution

It demonstrates the link between MHD winds and gaseous ring formation, and models dust sedimentation and concentration in these rings using advanced simulations.

Findings

Gaseous rings are linked to MHD winds.

Millimetre-sized dust is highly sedimented.

Dust concentrates in pressure maxima forming observable rings.

Abstract

Large-scale vertical magnetic fields are believed to play a key role in the evolution of protoplanetary discs. Associated with non-ideal effects, such as ambipolar diffusion, they are known to launch a wind that could drive accretion in the outer part of the disc ($R> 1$ AU). They also potentially lead to self-organisation of the disc into large-scale axisymmetric structures, similar to the rings recently imaged by sub-millimetre or near-infrared instruments (ALMA and SPHERE). The aim of this paper is to investigate the mechanism behind the formation of these gaseous rings, but also to understand the dust dynamics and its emission in discs threaded by a large-scale magnetic field. To this end, we performed global magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) axisymmetric simulations with ambipolar diffusion using a modified version of the PLUTO code. We explored different magnetisations with the midplane $\beta$ parameter ranging from $10^5$ to $10^3$ and included dust grains -- treated in the fluid approximation -- ranging from $100 \mu$m to 1 cm in size. We first show that the gaseous rings (associated with zonal flows) are tightly linked to the existence of MHD winds. Secondly, we find that millimetre-size dust is highly sedimented, with a typical scale height of 1 AU at $R=100$ AU for $\beta=10^4$, compatible with recent ALMA observations. We also show that these grains concentrate into pressure maxima associated with zonal flows, leading to the formation of dusty rings. Using the radiative transfer code MCFOST, we computed the dust emission and make predictions on the ring-gap contrast and the spectral index that one might observe with interferometers like ALMA.