This project will investigate the stability of propagating spiral waves in protoplanetary disks by carrying out three-dimensional numerical simulations. Spiral waves in protoplanetary disks are…

This is a $180,000.00 grant for research awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the Regents of the University of Michigan, a top public research university. The grant will fund a project to investigate the stability of propagating spiral waves in protoplanetary disks through three-dimensional numerical simulations. The project aims to study the effects of disk thermodynamics on the instability of spiral waves excited by a planetary companion and assess the impact on mass and angular momentum transport as well as dust diffusion. This research has potential implications for understanding planet formation in both our solar system and extrasolar planetary systems. The grant does not have a set-aside designation.

This project will investigate the stability of propagating spiral waves in protoplanetary disks by carrying out three-dimensional numerical simulations. Spiral waves in protoplanetary disks are subject to resonant interactions with inertial modes. This can lead to the destabilization of the spiral waves into small, turbulent eddies, by transferring wave energy to inertial modes -- spiral wave instability. Improving upon our prior work, the proposed project will aim to study stability of the spiral waves excited by a planetary companion and to examine the effects of disk thermodynamics to the instability. The necessary code elements have been implemented in and tested with astrophysical (magneto-)hydrodynamic codes FARGO3D, athena, and pluto by the team members. Using the proposed simulations, we will assess (1) how efficiently spiral waves are destabilized by the instability; (2) how mass and angular momentum transport via spiral waves change in response to the instability; and (3) how dust diffuses/collects within the turbulence produced by the instability. The results will have potential impact in understanding the mass transport and the formation of planetesimals/planets in the proto-solar nebula as well as in extrasolar protoplanetary systems.