SPH simulations of structures in protoplanetary disks

Abstract

Using the GADGET-2 code modified by us, we have computed hydrodynamic models of a protoplanetary disk perturbed by a low-mass companion. We have considered the cases of circular and eccentric orbits coplanar with the disk and inclined relative to its midplane. During our simulations we computed the column density of test particles on the line of sight between the central star and observer. On this basis we computed the column density of circumstellar dust by assuming the dust and gas to be well mixed with a mass ratio of 1: 100. To study the influence of the disk orientation relative to the observer on the interstellar extinction, we performed our computations for four inclinations of the line of sight to the disk plane and eight azimuthal directions. The column densities in the circumstellar disk of the central star and the circumbinary disk were computed separately. Our computations have shown that periodic column density oscillations can arise in both inner and circumbinary disks. The amplitude and shape of these oscillations depend on the system’s parameters (the orbital eccentricity and inclination, the component mass ratio) and its orientation in space. The results of our simulations can be used to explain the cyclic brightness variations of young UX Ori stars.