Stability of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Clusters in Protoplanetary Disks

TL;DR

This study investigates the formation and stability of PAH clusters in protoplanetary disks, suggesting that cluster formation may explain low PAH detection rates, especially around T Tauri stars.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of PAH cluster formation and dissociation in protoplanetary disks, highlighting conditions for cluster survival and their potential role in observed PAH signatures.

Findings

PAH dimers can form within 100 AU in disks' sub-photospheric layers.

PAH clusters grow rapidly from dimers to larger sizes, increasing stability.

Cluster survival is unlikely in Herbig star disks but possible in T Tauri star disks.

Abstract

The infrared signature of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are present in many protostellar disks and these speciesare thought to play an important role in heating of the gas in the photosphere. We aim to consider PAH cluster formation as one possible cause for non-detections of PAH features in protoplanetary disks. We test the necessary conditions for cluster formation and cluster dissociation by stellar optical and FUV photons in protoplanetarydisks using a Herbig Ae/Be and a T Tauri star disk model. We perform Monte-Carlo (MC) and statistical calculations to determine dissociation rates for coronene, circumcoronene and circumcoronene clusters with sizes between 2 and 200 cluster members. By applying general disk models to our Herbig Ae/Be and T Tauri star model, we estimate the formation rate of PAH dimers and compare these with the dissociation rates. We show that the formation of PAH dimers can take place in the inner 100 AU of protoplanetary disks in sub-photospheric layers. Dimer formation takes seconds to years allowing them to grow beyond dimer size in a short time. We further demonstrate that PAH cluster increase their stability while they grow if they are located beyond a critical distance that depends on stellar properties and PAH species. The comparison with the local vertical mixing time scale allows a determination of the minimum cluster size necessaryfor survival of PAH clusters. Considering the PAH cluster formation sites, cluster survival in the photosphere of the inner disk of Herbig stars isunlikely because of the high UV radiation. For the T Tauri stars, survival of coronene, circumcoronene and circumcircumcoronene clusters is possible and cluster formation should be considered as one possible explanation for low PAH detection rates in T Tauri star disks.