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Magnetic fields are fundamental to the accretion dynamics of protoplanetary disks and they likely affect planet formation. Typical methods to study the magnetic field morphology observe the polarization of dust or spectral lines. However, it has recently become clear that dust-polarization in ALMAs spectral regime not always faithfully traces the magnetic field structure of protoplanetary disks, which leaves spectral line polarization as a promising method of mapping the magnetic field morphologies of such sources. We aim to model the emergent polarization of different molecular lines in the ALMA wavelength regime that are excited in protoplanetary disks. We explore a variety of disk models and molecules to identify those properties that are conducive to the emergence of polarization in spectral lines and may therefore be viably used for magnetic field measurements in protoplanetary disks. Methods. We use PORTAL (POlarized Radiative Transfer Adapted to Lines) in conjunction with LIME (Line Emission Modeling Engine). Together, they allow us to treat the polarized line radiative transfer of complex three-dimensional physical and magnetic field structures. We present simulations of the emergence of spectral line polarization of different molecules and molecular transitions in the ALMA wavelength regime and we comment on the observational feasibility of ALMA linear polarization observations of protoplanetary disks. We find that molecules that thermalize at high densities, such as HCN, are also most susceptible to polarization. We find that such molecules are expected to be significantly polarized in protoplanetary disks, while molecules that thermalize at low densities, such as CO, are only significantly polarized in the outer disk regions.
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This review introduces physical processes in protoplanetary disks relevant to accretion and the initial stages of planet formation. After a brief overview of the observational context, I introduce the elementary theory of disk structure and evolution, review the gas-phase physics of angular momentum transport through turbulence and disk winds, and discuss possible origins for the episodic accretion observed in Young Stellar Objects. Turning to solids, I review the evolution of single particles under aerodynamic forces, and describe the conditions necessary for the development of collective gas-particle instabilities. Observations show that disks can exhibit pronounced large-scale structure, and I discuss the types of structures that may form from gas and particle interactions at ice lines, vortices and zonal flows, prior to the formation of large planetary bodies. I conclude with disk dispersal.
Polarized dust emission outside of disks reveal the magnetic field morphology of molecular clouds. Within disks, however, polarized dust emission can arise from very different mechanisms (e.g., self-scattering), and each of them are useful for constraining physical properties in the disk. For example, these mechanisms allow us to constrain the disk grain size distributions and grain/disk geometries, independent from current methods of measuring these parameters. To accurately model these features and disentangle the various polarization mechanisms, multiwavelength observations at very high resolution and sensitivity are required. With significant upgrades to current interferometric facilities, we can understand how grains evolve in disks during the planet formation process.
Magnetic fields are expected to play an important role in accretion processes for circumstellar disks. Measuring the magnetic field morphology is difficult, especially since polarimetric (sub)millimeter continuum observations may not trace fields in most disks. The Goldreich-Kylafis (GK) effect suggests that line polarization is perpendicular or parallel to the magnetic field direction. We attempt to observe CO(2-1), $^{13}$CO(2-1), and C$^{18}$O(2-1) line polarization toward HD 142527 and IM Lup, which are large, bright protoplanetary disks. We use spatial averaging and spectral integration to search for signals in both disks, and detect a potential CO(2-1) Stokes $Q$ signal toward both disks. The total CO(2-1) polarization fractions are 1.57 $pm$ 0.18% and 1.01 $pm$ 0.10% for HD 142527 and IM Lup, respectively. Our Monte Carlo simulations indicate that these signals are marginal. We also stack Stokes parameters based on the Keplerian rotation, but no signal was found. Across the disk traced by dust of HD 142527, the 3$sigma$ upper limits for $P_{text{frac}}$ at 0.5$^{primeprime}$ ($sim$80 au) resolution are typically less than 3% for CO(2-1) and $^{13}$CO(2-1) and 4% for C$^{18}$O(2-1). For IM Lup, the 3$sigma$ upper limits for these three lines are typically less than 3%, 4%, and 12%, respectively. Upper limits based on our stacking technique are up to a factor of $sim$10 lower, though stacking areas can potentially average out small-scale polarization structure. We also compare our continuum polarization at 1.3 mm to observations at 870 $mu$m from previous studies. The polarization in the northern dust trap of HD 142527 shows a significant change in morphology and an increase in $P_{text{frac}}$ as compared to 870 $mu$m. For IM Lup, the 1.3 mm polarization may be more azimuthal and has a higher $P_{text{frac}}$ than at 870 $mu$m.
We present arcsecond-scale Submillimeter Array observations of the CO(3-2) line emission from the disks around the young stars HD 163296 and TW Hya at a spectral resolution of 44 m/s. These observations probe below the ~100 m/s turbulent linewidth inferred from lower-resolution observations, and allow us to place constraints on the turbulent linewidth in the disk atmospheres. We reproduce the observed CO(3-2) emission using two physical models of disk structure: (1) a power-law temperature distribution with a tapered density distribution following a simple functional form for an evolving accretion disk, and (2) the radiative transfer models developed by DAlessio et al. that can reproduce the dust emission probed by the spectral energy distribution. Both types of models yield a low upper limit on the turbulent linewidth (Doppler b-parameter) in the TW Hya system (<40 m/s), and a tentative (3-sigma) detection of a ~300 m/s turbulent linewidth in the upper layers of the HD 163296 disk. These correspond to roughly <10% and 40% of the sound speed at size scales commensurate with the resolution of the data. The derived linewidths imply a turbulent viscosity coefficient, alpha, of order 0.01 and provide observational support for theoretical predictions of subsonic turbulence in protoplanetary accretion disks.
Aims and Methods. Accretion bursts triggered by the magnetorotational instability (MRI) in the innermost disk regions were studied for protoplanetary gas-dust disks formed from prestellar cores of various mass $M_{rm core}$ and mass-to-magnetic flux ratio $lambda$. Numerical magnetohydrodynamics simulations in the thin-disk limit were employed to study the long-term ($sim 1.0$~Myr) evolution of protoplanetary disks with an adaptive turbulent $alpha$-parameter, which depends explicitly on the strength of the magnetic field and ionization fraction in the disk. The numerical models also feature the co-evolution of gas and dust, including the back-reaction of dust on gas and dust growth. Results. Dead zone with a low ionization fraction $x <= 10^{-13}$ and temperature on the order of several hundred Kelvin forms in the inner disk soon after its formation, extending from several to several tens of astronomical units depending on the model. The dead zone features pronounced dust rings that are formed due to the concentration of grown dust particles in the local pressure maxima. Thermal ionization of alkaline metals in the dead zone trigger the MRI and associated accretion burst, which is characterized by a sharp rise, small-scale variability in the active phase, and fast decline once the inner MRI-active region is depleted of matter. The burst occurrence frequency is highest in the initial stages of disk formation, and is driven by gravitational instability (GI), but declines with diminishing disk mass-loading from the infalling envelope. There is a causal link between the initial burst activity and the strength of GI in the disk fueled by mass infall from the envelope. Abridged.
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