Dust Distribution and Planet Migration in Magnetized Protostellar Disks

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In this study, Dr. Arieh Konigl will undertake a detailed theoretical investigation of accretion disks around young stellar objects (YSOs). In this context, accretion means that material is flowing through the disk and landing on the young star. The current astrophysical understanding is that most of the mass assembled in YSOs passes through such disks and that protostellar disks are the incubators of planets. Energetic, collimated outflows (jets) are also a ubiquitous feature of YSOs, and there is strong evidence that they are intimately linked to the accretion process. Planets are believed to form in protostellar disks through the gradual growth of dust grains into planetesimals. The aim of this work is to investigate the possibility that the presence of a large-scale magnetic field in the disk is key for understanding several aspects of star formation, including the production and evolution of jets, the transfer of angular momentum (spin) outward in the disk, and the migration of early planets within the disk. Building on extensive previous modeling work by the PI on the formation of stars, this work will generate self-consistent calculations of the global dust distribution in a magnetized, wind-driving disk, create spectral and imaging diagnostics of the dust and gas distributions in the disk/wind system for testing against existing and future observations, and explore the possible reduction of inward planet migration by the effect of alarge-scale magnetic field on the disk's response to the gravitational perturbation induced by the planet's circular motion.The implications of the planned studies to the formation of the solar system and of extrasolar planets should elicit wide interest and will be broadly disseminated, including in public lectures by the PI. The PI and his students will also continue work with K-12 students and teachers in inner-city schools.