Time-dependent long-term hydrodynamic simulations of the inner protoplanetary disk III: The influence of photoevaporation

TL;DR

This study uses long-term hydrodynamic simulations to explore how photoevaporation influences protoplanetary disk dispersal, star-disk interactions, and planetary formation potential, especially under varying stellar X-ray luminosities.

Contribution

It combines an implicit disk evolution model with photoevaporative effects to analyze the coupled evolution of star-disk systems including the inner disk regions down to 0.01 AU.

Findings

Photoevaporation significantly alters disk structure and reduces the dead zone size.

High stellar X-ray luminosities decrease episodic accretion events.

Strong X-ray emission impairs planet formation in the dead zone.

Abstract

The final stages of a protoplanetary disk are essential for our understanding of the formation and evolution of planets. Photoevaporation is an important mechanism that contributes to the dispersal of an accretion disk and has significant consequences for the disk's lifetime. However, the combined effects of photoevaporation and star-disk interaction have not been investigated in previous studies. We combined an implicit disk evolution model with a photoevaporative mass-loss profile. By including the innermost disk regions down to 0.01 AU, we could calculate the star-disk interaction, the stellar spin evolution, and the transition from an accreting disk to the propeller regime self-consistently. Starting from an early Class II star-disk system, we calculated the long-term evolution of the system until the disk becomes almost completely dissolved. Photoevaporation has a significant effect on disk structure and evolution. The radial extent of the dead zone decreases, and the number of episodic accretion events (outbursts) is reduced by high stellar X-ray luminosities. Reasonable accretion rates in combination with photoevaporative gaps are possible for a dead zone that is still massive enough to develop episodic accretion events. Furthermore, the stellar spin evolution during the Class II evolution is less affected by the star-disk interaction in the case of high X-ray luminosities. Our results suggest that the formation of planets, especially habitable planets, in the dead zone is strongly impaired in the case of strong X-ray luminosities. Additionally, the importance of the star-disk interaction during the Class II phase with respect to the stellar spin evolution is reduced.