Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Observations of Planetary Systems
- 2 Protoplanetary Disk Structure
- 3 Protoplanetary Disk Evolution
- 4 Planetesimal Formation
- 5 Terrestrial Planet Formation
- 6 Giant Planet Formation
- 7 Early Evolution of Planetary Systems
- Appendix A Physical and Astronomical Constants
- Appendix B The Two-Body Problem
- Appendix C N-Body Methods
- References
- Index
2 - Protoplanetary Disk Structure
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 January 2020
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Observations of Planetary Systems
- 2 Protoplanetary Disk Structure
- 3 Protoplanetary Disk Evolution
- 4 Planetesimal Formation
- 5 Terrestrial Planet Formation
- 6 Giant Planet Formation
- 7 Early Evolution of Planetary Systems
- Appendix A Physical and Astronomical Constants
- Appendix B The Two-Body Problem
- Appendix C N-Body Methods
- References
- Index
Summary
Chapter 2 discusses the structure of gaseous protoplanetary disks. It begins by explaining how observations can be used to infer disk mass, disk structure, and stellar accretion rate. The vertical structure of a gas disk in hydrostatic equilibrium is derived, and the considerations that determine the surface density and temperature profile of a passive disk are described. The concept of the condensation sequence is outlined, along with the ionization and recombination processes that determine the ionization state. Physical processes that can produce large-scale structure in disks - zonal flows, vortices, and ice lines - are discussed.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Astrophysics of Planet Formation , pp. 49 - 85Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020