The Dusty Rossby Wave Instability (DRWI): Linear Analysis and Simulations of Turbulent Dust-Trapping Rings in Protoplanetary Discs

TL;DR

This paper introduces the Dusty Rossby Wave Instability (DRWI), a new linear instability in turbulent dust-trapping rings of protoplanetary discs, which can lead to dust clumping and planetesimal formation, verified through simulations.

Contribution

It identifies and characterizes two types of DRWI, including a newly discovered travelling mode, expanding understanding of dust dynamics in turbulent rings.

Findings

Type I DRWI causes large gas vortex formation.

Type II DRWI preserves dust rings while inducing clumping.

Simulations confirm the existence and behavior of both DRWI types.

Abstract

Recent numerical simulations have revealed that dust clumping and planetesimal formation likely proceed in ring-like disc substructures, where dust gets trapped in weakly turbulent pressure maxima. The streaming instability has difficulty operating in such rings with external turbulence and no pressure gradient. To explore potential paths to planetesimal formation in this context, we analyse the stability of turbulent dust-trapping ring under the shearing sheet framework. We self-consistently establish the pressure maximum and the dust ring in equilibrium, the former via a balance of external forcing versus viscosity and the latter via dust drift versus turbulent diffusion. We find two types of $\gtrsim H$-scale instabilities ($H$ being the pressure scale height), which we term the dusty Rossby wave instability (DRWI). Type I is generalised from the standard RWI, which is stationary at the pressure maximum and dominates in relatively sharp pressure bumps. Type II is a newly identified travelling mode that requires the presence of dust. It can operate in relatively mild bumps, including many that are stable to the standard RWI, and its growth rate is largely determined by the equilibrium gas and dust density gradients. We further conduct two-fluid simulations that verify the two types of the DRWI. While Type I leads strong to dust concentration into a large gas vortex similar to the standard RWI, the dust ring is preserved in Type II, and meanwhile exhibiting additional clumping within the ring. The DRWI suggests a promising path towards formation of planetesimals/planetary embryos and azimuthally asymmetric dust structure from turbulent dust-trapping rings.