Understanding Spitzer Observations of Protostellar Disks Using 3-D MHD Calculations
First Author:
Neal Turner
Email: neal.turner AT jpl.nasa.gov
JPL/Caltech
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, California 91106, USA
Coauthors:
Carballido, Augusto, JPL/Caltech
Sano, Takayoshi, Osaka Univ.
Abstract
Magnetic forces drive the accretion flows in T Tauri disks and produce the stirring that enables dust to remain suspended in disk atmospheres for millions of years. I will discuss 3-D MHD calculations treating the coupling of the gas to the magnetic fields, demonstrating that atmospheric turbulence coexists with a laminar midplane flow that provides a favorable environment for the growth of planetesimals, and showing how the calculations can be used to interpret Spitzer measurements of the mid-infrared dust bands formed in the disk atmosphere. This work was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology with support from the JPL Research & Technology Development and NASA Solar Systems Origins programs.
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