Is the spiral morphology of the Elias 2-27 circumstellar disc due to gravitational instability?
Hall, C; Rice, K; Dipierro, G; et al.Forgan, D; Harries, TJ; Alexander, R
Date: 28 February 2018
Journal
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Publisher DOI
Abstract
A recent ALMA observation of the Elias 2-27 system revealed a two-armed structure extend-
ing out to ∼300 au in radius. The protostellar disc surrounding the central star is unusually
massive, raising the possibility that the system is gravitationally unstable. Recent work has
shown that the observed morphology of the system ...
A recent ALMA observation of the Elias 2-27 system revealed a two-armed structure extend-
ing out to ∼300 au in radius. The protostellar disc surrounding the central star is unusually
massive, raising the possibility that the system is gravitationally unstable. Recent work has
shown that the observed morphology of the system can be explained by disc self-gravity,
so we examine the physical properties of the disc necessary to detect self-gravitating spiral
waves. Using three-dimensional Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics, coupled with radiative
transfer and synthetic ALMA imaging, we find that observable spiral structure can only be
explained by self-gravity if the disc has a low opacity (and therefore efficient cooling), and
is minimally supported by external irradiation. This corresponds to a very narrow region of
parameter space, suggesting that, although it is possible for the spiral structure to be due to
disc self-gravity, other explanations, such as an external perturbation, may be preferred.
Physics and Astronomy
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy
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