Modelling circumbinary protoplanetary disks: I. Fluid simulations of the Kepler-16 and 34 systems

Abstract

The Kepler mission's discovery of a number of circumbinary planets orbiting close (a_p < 1.1 au) to the stellar binary raises questions as to how these planets could have formed given the intense gravitational perturbations the dual stars impart on the disk. The gas component of circumbinary protoplanetary disks is perturbed in a similar manner to the solid, planetesimal dominated counterpart, although the mechanism by which disk eccentricity originates differs. This is the first work of a series that aims to investigate the conditions for planet formation in circumbinary protoplanetary disks. We present a number of hydrodynamical simulations that explore the response of gas disks around two observed binary systems: Kepler-16 and Kepler-34. We probe the importance of disk viscosity, aspect-ratio, inner boundary condition, initial surface density gradient, and self-gravity on the dynamical evolution of the disk, as well as its quasi steady-state profile. We find there is a strong influence of binary type on the mean disk eccentricity, e_d, leading to e_d = 0.02 - 0.08 for Kepler-16 and e_d = 0.10 - 0.15 in Kepler-34. The value of alpha-viscosity has little influence on the disk, but we find a strong increase in mean disk eccentricity with increasing aspect-ratio due to wave propagation effects. The choice of inner boundary condition only has a small effect on the surface density and eccentricity of the disk. Our primary finding is that including disk self-gravity has little impact on the evolution or final state of the disk for disks with masses less than 12.5 times that of the minimum-mass solar nebula. This finding contrasts with the results of self-gravity relevance in circumprimary disks, where its inclusion is found to be an important factor in describing the disk evolution.

Accepted to A&A. 12 Pages & 12 Figures

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• Discovery of a Third Transiting Planet in the Kepler-47 Circumbinary System
• Circumbinary discs: Numerical and physical behaviour
• Protoplanetary Disk Heating and Evolution Driven by the Spiral Density Waves
• Migration of planets in circumbinary discs
• The evolution of photo-evaporating viscous discs in binaries
• On dust evolution in planet-forming discs in binary systems. I -- Theoretical and numerical modelling: radial drift is faster in binary discs
• The Role of Disc Self-Gravity in Circumbinary Planet Systems: I. Disc Structure and Evolution
• Hydrodynamical turbulence in eccentric circumbinary discs and its impact on the in situ formation of circumbinary planets
• The influence of infall on the properties of protoplanetary discs
• The Maximum Mass Solar Nebula and the early formation of planets
• Coevolution of Binaries and Gaseous Discs
• Radio Loud vs. Radio Quiet Gamma-ray Bursts: the Role of Binary Progenitors
• The Role of Disc Self-Gravity in Circumbinary Planet Systems: II. Planet Evolution
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• Simulations of the dynamics of the debris disks in the systems Kepler-16, Kepler-34, and Kepler-35
• The circumbinary rings of GG Carinae: indications of disc eccentricity growth in the B[e] supergiant's atomic emission lines
• Analytical and Numerical Methods for Circumbinary Disk Dynamics -- II: Inclined Disks