Evolution of $\alpha$ Centauri B's protoplanetary disc

TL;DR

This study uses hydrodynamical and N-body simulations to analyze the evolution of a protoplanetary disc around $ ext{α}$ Centauri B, revealing how binary interactions influence disc eccentricity and implications for planet formation.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the eccentricity evolution of protoplanetary discs in binary systems and the conditions favorable for planet formation around $ ext{α}$ Centauri B.

Findings

Disc eccentricity oscillates with binary orbit and damps to a steady state.

Higher viscosity leads to higher disc eccentricity.

Planet formation is more feasible with low viscosity and within 2.5 au.

Abstract

With hydrodynamical simulations we examine the evolution of a protoplanetary disc around $\alpha$ Centauri B including the effect of the eccentric orbit binary companion $\alpha$ Centauri A. The initially circular orbit disc undergoes two types of eccentricity growth. First, the eccentricity oscillates on the orbital period of the binary, $P_{\rm orb}$, due to the eccentricity of the binary orbit. Secondly, for a sufficiently small disc aspect ratio, the disc undergoes global forced eccentricity oscillations on a time-scale of around $20\,P_{\rm orb}$. These oscillations damp out through viscous dissipation leaving a quasi-steady eccentricity profile for the disc that oscillates only on the binary orbital period. The time-averaged global eccentricity is in the range 0.05-0.1, with no precession in the steady state. The periastrons of the gas particles are aligned to one another. The higher the disc viscosity, the higher the disc eccentricity. With $N$-body simulations we examine the evolution of a disc of planetesimals that forms with the orbital properties of the quasi-steady protoplanetary disc. We find that the average magnitude of the eccentricity of particles increases and their periastrons become misaligned to each other once they decouple from the gas disc. The low planetesimal collision velocity required for planet formation suggests that for planet formation to have occurred in a disc of planetesimals formed from a protoplanetary disc around $\alpha$ Centauri B, said disc's viscosity must be have been small and planet formation must have occurred at orbital radii smaller than about $2.5\,\rm au$. Planet formation may be easier with the presence of gas.