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PPM results

A report on work in progress: 2-D numerical disk-planet interaction

I present in these pages (some still under construction) the newest results on disk-planet interaction using Piecewise Parabolic Method (based on PPM routines from John Blondin's VH-1  code). It's one of the best hydrodynamical simulation schemes. Independently, but coordinating efforts Steve Lubow (STScI) et al. use other codes to study the same range of problems.

The equation of state here is deliberately simple, locally isothermal, but soundspeed varies in a prescribed power-law way with distance. c/vK is about the disk's vertical scale height to radius ratio at the distance to the planet.

All disk models have surface density at the planet's position Sigma=200 g/cm2, corresponding to the minimum solar nebula.

The migration timescale ta = a/|da/dt| and the eccentricity driving timescale te = e/|de/dt| correspond to the orbital distance of a planet equal a=5.2 AU.

Perhaps confusingly but consistently the Roche lobe of Jupiter is overplotted on all maps to indicate scale, independent of the actual planet's mass. This was done to have a uniform scale marker.

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