Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union

Table of Contents - October 2010 - Volume 6, Symposium S276 (The Astrophysics of Planetary Systems: Formation, Structure, and Dynamical Evolution)  

Contributed Papers

Planetesimal dynamics in hydromagnetic turbulence

Oliver Gressela1, Richard P. Nelsona1 and Neal J. Turnera2

a1 Astronomy Unit, Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK

a2 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 email: o.gressel@qmul.ac.uk, r.p.nelson@qmul.ac.uk, neal.turner@jpl.nasa.gov

Abstract

Planet formation theory is founded on the concept of dust coagulation and subsequent growth into planetesimals. This process is by no means an isolated one, but possibly happens in a turbulent nebula. It is therefore crucial to understand how particles of different sizes are affected by their gaseous environment via stochastic forcing and aerodynamic damping. We here report on the effects of magneto-rotational (MRI) turbulence in the presence of non-uniform ionisation leading to the formation of a magnetically inactive dead-zone. While we find that collisional growth is impeded by fully-active MRI, it may be possible within a dead-zone.

Keywords

  • accretion disks;
  • MHD;
  • methods: numerical;
  • planetary systems: formation;
  • planetary systems: protoplanetary disks