One difficulty in forming a star is that once gas falls into a nearly Keplerian orbit in the protoplanetary disk around a protostar, the gas becomes “stuck” in orbit. While stuck there, it cannot fall into or accrete onto the prototstar and thereby complete its formation. To fall onto the protostar, the gas must “fire its retro rockets” and transfer some of its angular momentum and energy radially outward. For high-energy disks around compact object, the coupling of the ionized gas to magnetic fields and MRI-induced turbulence can account for the momentum and energy transfer. However, the cold, nearly un-ionized gas around a protostar cannot couple to the magnetic field, leaving vast “dead zones” in the protoplanetary disk where the fluid cannot transport angular momentum and energy and where there is no viable way of forming planets from the dust in the gas. Our research supports the idea that purely hydrodynamic waves within the dead zone create robust vortices and that those vortices transport angular momentum and energy in the right direction and with the right magnitude to allow gas to accrete onto the protostar and complete its formation. We are also investigating how vortices within the protoplanetary disk accumulate and then agglomerate micron-sized dust into the kilometer-sized planetesimals from which planets form.
Published Papers and Abstracts
“3D Vortices in Protoplanetary Disks”, Samy Kamal, Joseph Barranco, Philip Marcus, APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Abstracts, vol. 55, November 2010. — PDF
“Hollow Vortices in Protoplanetary Disks Dynamically Stabilized by Trapped Dust Grains”, Xylar Asay-Davis, Katherine Deck, Philip Marcus, APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Abstracts, vol. 54, November 2009. — PDF
“Planetesimal Formation: Trapping Dust in 3D Vortices”, Xylar Asay-Davis, Joseph Barranco, Philip Marcus, APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Abstracts, vol. 52, November 2007. — PDF
“Transport by Vortices in Protoplanetary Disks”, Philip Marcus, Joe Barranco, APS Division of Plasma Physics Meeting Abstracts, October 2007. — PDF
“A 3D Spectral Anelastic Hydrodynamic Code for Shearing, Stratified Flows”, Joseph A. Barranco, Philip S. Marcus, Journal of Computational Physics, vol. 219, pp. 21-55, May 2006, doi: 10.1016/j.jcp.2006.03.015. — PDF
“Planet Embryos in Vortex Wombs”, J. A. Barranco, P. S. Marcus, Protostars and Planets V, vol. 1, pp. 8615, 2005. — PDF
“Three-Dimensional Vortices in Stratified Protoplanetary Disks”, Joseph A. Barranco, Philip S. Marcus, Astrophysical Journal, vol. 623, pp. 1157-1170, April 2005, doi: 10.1086/428639. — PDF
“Three-Dimensional Vortices in Stratified Protoplanetary Disks”, Joseph A. Barranco, Philip S. Marcus, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, vol. 36, pp. 1534, December 2004.
“Three-Dimensional Vortices in Strongly Stratified Planetary Atmospheres”, Sushil Shetty, Philip Marcus, APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Abstracts, November 2004. — Image
“Planet Embryos in Vortex Wombs”, Joseph A. Barranco, Philip S. Marcus, AIP Conference Proceedings, vol. 713, pp. 67-70, June 2004, doi: 10.1063/1.1774502. — PDF
“Numerical simulation of protoplanetary vortices”, H. Lin, J.A. Barranco, P.S. Marcus, Center for Turbulence Research: Anual Research Briefs, 2003. — PDF
“Planet Embryos in Vortex Wombs”, Joseph Barranco, Philip Marcus, APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Abstracts, November 2002. — Image
“Vortex dynamics and angular momentum transport in accretion disks”, H. Lin, J. A. Barranco, P. S. Marcus, Center for Turbulence Research: Annual Research Briefs 2002, pp. 289-299, 2002. — PDF
“Vortices in Protoplanetary Disks and Their Role in Planet Formation”, Joseph Barranco, Philip Marcus, APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Abstracts, November 2001. — Image
“Scalings and asymptotics of coherent vortices in protoplanetary disks”, J. Barranco, P. Marcus, O. M. Umurhan, Center for Turbulence Research: Proceedings of the 2000 Summer Program, pp. 85-96, published 2001. — PDF
“Vortices in protoplanetary disks and the formation of planetesimals”, J. A. Barranco, P. S. Marcus, Center for Turbulence Research: Proceedings of the 2000 Summer Program, pp. 97-108, published 2001. — PDF
“The Role of Vortices in Star and Planet Formation”, Joseph Barranco, Philip Marcus, APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Abstracts, November 1999. — Image
Relevant Research:
(2019) Zombie vortex instability in the protoplanetary disk: Can we find it in the lab?, EAS Publications Series 82, p. 435-444, pdf, doi:10.1051/eas/1982038
(2018) Zombie Vortex Instability. III. Persistence with Nonuniform Stratification and Radiative Damping, The Astrophysical Journal 869(2), p. 127, pdf, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aaec80
(2016) Zombie Vortex Instability. II. Thresholds to Trigger Instability and the Properties of Zombie Turbulence in the Dead Zones of Protoplanetary Disks, The Astrophysical Journal 833(2), p. 148, pdf, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/833/2/148
(2015) High S/N Keck and Gemini AO imaging of Uranus during 2012–2014: New cloud patterns, increasing activity, and improved wind measurements, Icarus 258(1), p. 192-223, url, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.05.029
(2015) Zombie Vortex Instability. I. A Purely Hydrodynamic Instability to Resurrect the Dead Zones of Protoplanetary Disks, The Astrophysical Journal 808(1), p. 87, doi:10.1088/0004-637X/808/1/87
(2014) Development of Efficient Baroclinic Cooling Prescription for Global Core Collapse Simulations into Protoplanetary Disks, p. 1-9, pdf
(2006) A 3D spectral anelastic hydrodynamic code for shearing, stratified flows, Journal of Computational Physics 219(1), p. 21-46, pdf, doi:10.1016/j.jcp.2006.03.015
(2005) Planet Embryos in Vortex Wombs, Protostars and Planets V(1286), p. 8615, pdf
(2005) Three‐dimensional Vortices in Stratified Protoplanetary Disks, The Astrophysical Journal 623(2), p. 1157-1170, pdf, doi:10.1086/428639
(2003) Numerical Simulation of Protoplanetary Vortices, Center for Turbulence Research Annual Research Briefs 2003, pdf
(2001) Scalings and asymptotics of coherent vortices in protoplanetary disks, Center for Turbulence Research - Proceedings of the 2000 Summer Program, p. 85-96, pdf
(2001) Vortices in protoplanetary disks and the formation of planetesimals, Center for Turbulence Research - Proceedings of the 2000 Summer Program, p. 97-108, pdf
Abstracts
(2014) Zombie Vortices: Angular Momentum Transport and Planetesimal Formation, APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Abstracts, p. E17-005, pdf
(2014) Zombie Vortices: The Dead Zones of Protoplanetary Disks are Not Dead, APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Abstracts, p. E17-004, pdf
(2013) The Dead Zones of Protoplanetary Disks are Not Dead, EPJ Web of Conferences 46, p. 3006, pdf
(2010) Dust Settling in Protoplanetary Disks and the Onset of Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability, APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Abstracts 63, p. CV-009, pdf
(2010) 3D Vortices in Protoplanetary Disks, APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Abstracts 63, p. RG-002, pdf
(2009) Hollow Vortices in Protoplanetary Disks Dynamically Stabilized by Trapped Dust Grains, APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Abstracts 62, p. EK-008, pdf
(2007) Transport by Vortices in Protoplanetary Disks, APS Division of Plasma Physics Meeting Abstracts 49, p. GM4-002, pdf
(2007) Planetesimal Formation: Trapping Dust in 3D Vortices, AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts 39, p. 4-42, pdf
(2004) Three-Dimensional Vortices in Stratified Protoplanetary Disks, American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts 205, p. 106-117
(2004) Planet Embryos in Vortex Wombs, AIP Conference Proceedings 713(1), p. 67-70, AIP, pdf, doi:10.1063/1.1774502
(2003) Planet Embryos in Vortex Wombs, AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts 35, p. 4-35, url
(2001) Vortices in Protoplanetary Disks and Their Role in Planet Formation, APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Abstracts 54, p. BL-004, url
(1999) The Role of Vortices in Star and Planet Formation, APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Abstracts, p. JD-01, url