Impact of Local Pressure Enhancements on Dust Concentration inTurbulent Protoplanetary Discs

TL;DR

This study uses advanced simulations to explore how local pressure enhancements influence dust accumulation and vortex formation in turbulent protoplanetary discs, revealing conditions that favor planetesimal formation and observable dust ring asymmetries.

Contribution

First global 3D simulations demonstrating dust collection in VSI-induced vortices and the impact of pressure bumps on dust dynamics in protoplanetary discs.

Findings

Vortices reach high dust-to-gas ratios at low metallicity and Stokes number.

Pressure bumps lead to long-lived vortices or turbulent dust rings depending on parameters.

Dust significantly alters vertical mass flow and viscosity in the disc.

Abstract

We investigate the evolution of dust and gas in the vicinity of local pressure enhancements (pressure bumps) in a protoplanetary disc (PPD) with turbulence due to the Vertical Shear Instability (VSI). We perform global 2D axisymmetric and 3D simulations of dust and gas for a range of values for Z (ratio of dust-to-gas (d/g) surface mass densities or metallicity), particle Stokes numbers tau, and pressure bump amplitude A. Dust feedback onto the gas is included. For the first time we demonstrate in global 3D simulations the collection of dust in long-lived vortices induced by the VSI. Without a pressure bump and for Z~0.01 and tau~0.01 we find that such vortices reach d/g density ratios slightly below unity in the discs mid-plane, while for Z>0.05 long-lived vortices are largely absent. In presence of a pressure bump, for Z~0.01 & tau~0.01 a dusty vortex forms reaching d/g ratios of a few times unity, such that the SI is expected to develop, before it eventually shears out into a turbulent dust ring. For Z~0.03 this occurs for tau~0.005, with a weaker, more short-lived vortex, while for larger tau only a turbulent dust ring forms. For Z>0.03 we find that the dust ring becomes increasingly axisymmetric for increasing tau and d/g ratios reach ~1 for tau>0.005. Furthermore, the disc's vertical mass flow profile is strongly affected by dust for Z>0.03, such that gas is transported inward near the mid-plane and outward at larger heights, i.e. the reversed situation compared to simulations with zero or small amounts of dust. Viscous $\alpha$-values drop moderately as 0.001-0.0001 for increasing Z=0-0.05. Our results suggest that the VSI can play an active role in planetesimal formation through the formation of vortices for plausible values of Z and tau. Also it may provide a natural explanation for the presence/absence of asymmetries of observed dust rings in PPDs, depending on the value of Z.