Properties of gravitoturbulent accretion disks

Abstract

We explore the properties of cold gravitoturbulent accretion disks - non-fragmenting disks hovering on the verge of gravitational instability - using a realistic prescription for the effective viscosity caused by gravitational torques. This prescription is based on a direct relationship between the angular momentum transport in a thin accretion disk and the disk cooling in a steady state. Assuming that opacity is dominated by dust we are able to self-consistently derive disk properties for a given $\dot{M}$ assuming marginal gravitational stability. We also allow external irradiation of the disk and account for a non-zero background viscosity which can be due to the MRI. Spatial transitions between different co-existing disk states (e.g. between irradiated and self-luminous or between gravitoturbulent and viscous) are described and the location of the boundary at which disk must fragment is determined in a variety of situations. We demonstrate in particular that at low enough $\dot{M}$ external irradiation stabilizes gravitoturbulent disk against fragmentation all the way to infinity thus providing means of steady mass transport to the central object. Implications of our results for the possibility of planet formation by gravitational instability in protoplanetary disks and star formation in the Galactic Center and for the problem of feeding supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei are discussed.

12 pages, 3 figures, submitted to ApJ

References in corpus (8)

• The Two Young Star Disks in the Central Parsec of the Galaxy: Properties, Dynamics and Formation
• Starbursts near supermassive black holes: young stars in the Galactic Center, and gravitational waves in LISA band
• Global Models for the Evolution of Embedded, Accreting Protostellar Disks
• Star Formation Around Super-Massive Black Holes
• Simulations of the formation of stellar discs in the Galactic centre via cloud-cloud collisions
• On the Formation of Compact Stellar Disks Around Sgr A*
• New composite models of partially ionized protoplanetary disks
• The Thermal Regulation of Gravitational Instabilities in Protoplanetary Disks. IV. Simulations with Envelope Irradiation

Cited by in corpus (24)

• The Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey: Giant Planet and Brown Dwarf Demographics From 10-100 AU
• Global Simulations of the Inner Regions of Protoplanetary Disks with Comprehensive Disk Microphysics
• Discovery of a wide planetary-mass companion to the young M3 star GU Psc
• Forming spectroscopic massive proto-binaries by disk fragmentation
• Convergence of the critical cooling rate for protoplanetary disk fragmentation achieved; the key role of numerical dissipation of angular momentum
• In-situ extreme mass ratio inspirals via sub-parsec formation and migration of stars in thin, gravitationally unstable AGN discs
• Gravito-Turbulent Disks in 3D: Turbulent Velocities vs. Depth
• Viscosity prescription for gravitationally unstable accretion disks
• Test of the Formation mechanism of the Broad Line Region in Active Galactic Nuclei
• Characterizing gravito-turbulence in 3D: turbulent properties and stability against fragmentation
• Parameter study for the burst mode of accretion in massive star formation
• Testing a New Model of Embedded Protostellar Disks Against Observation: The Majority of Orion Class 0/I Disks Are Likely Warm, Massive, and Gravitationally Unstable
• Circumstellar disks and planets. Science cases for next-generation optical/infrared long-baseline interferometers
• One-armed spirals in locally isothermal, radially structured self-gravitating discs
• Dust hot spots at 10 au scales around the Class 0 binary IRAS 16293-2422 A: a departure from the passive irradiation model
• Fragmentation of Kozai-Lidov Disks
• Supernova Explosions in Accretion Disks in Active Galactic Nuclei: Three-Dimensional Models
• The role of the drag force in the gravitational stability of dusty planet-forming disc -- II. Numerical simulations
• Parsec-scale obscuring accretion disk with large scale magnetic field in AGN
• Type I Planet Migration in a Magnetized Disk. I. Effect of Large-Scale Vertical and Azimuthal Field Components
• Global simulations of magnetorotational turbulence III: influence of field configuration and mass injection
• High-Resolution Near-Infrared Polarimetry and Sub-Millimeter Imaging of FS Tau A: Possible Streamers in Misaligned Circumbinary Disk System
• Structure of radiation dominated gravitoturbulent quasar discs
• Linear Analysis of the Nonaxisymmetric Secular Gravitational Instability