Protostars and Planets VI, Heidelberg, July 15-20, 2013

Poster 2H038

Disk-planet interaction: new results and implications for gap opening

Rafikov, Roman (Princeton University)

Abstract:
Gravitational disk-planet coupling has been a subject of intense investigation for more than three decades. Our understanding of very important phenomena such as planet migration and gap opening crucially relies on our knowledge of disk-planet interaction. Despite that, some interesting new results have emerged in this field recently. Three of them are reviewed in this poster. (1) Numerical verification of the nonlinear density wave evolution for small mass planets, which is found to be in excellent agreement with the analytical theory of this phenomenon developed by Goodman & Rafikov (2001). (2) A discovery and physical explanation of the ”negative torque density phenomenon” - the change of sign of the torque density produced by the planet at moderate separation away from it, completely overlooked in all previous disk-satellite coupling theories. (3) Calculation of the torque density profile in a non-homogeneous disk with a wide gap and demonstration of its difference from the conventional Goldreich & Tremaine (1980) torque prescription, widely used in literature. Implications of these results for planet migration and gap opening are covered as well.

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