Protostars and Planets VI, Heidelberg, July 15-20, 2013
Poster 2H015
Interaction between inclined massive planets and circumstellar discs
Xiang-Gruess, Meng (DAMTP, University of Cambridge)
Papaloizou, John C. B. (DAMTP, University of Cambridge)
Abstract:
We use SPH simulations to study the orbital evolution of a massive planet as well as the dynamical response of the disc for planet masses between 1 and 6 M_J and the full range of initial relative orbital inclinations.
At high relative inclinations, the inclination decay rate increases for increasing planet mass and decreasing initial relative inclination.
For an initial semi-major axis of 5 AU and relative inclination of i_0=80°, the times required for the inclination to decay by 10° is ~ 10^6 yr and ~10^5yr for 1 M_J and 6 M_J.
This indicates that planets with mass ~1 M_J initiated in circular orbits
with semi-major axis $\\sim 5$~AU and i_0 ~ 90° might only just become coplanar,
as a result of frictional effects, within the disc lifetime. In other cases highly inclined orbits will survive only if they are formed after the disc has mostly dispersed.
Planets on inclined orbits can warp the disc quite significantly. In that case of M_p=6 M_J, the disc can gain a total inclination of up to 15° together with a warped inner structure with an inclination of up to ~20° relative to the outer part.
We also find a solid body precession of both the total disc angular momentum vector
and the planet orbital momentum vector about the total angular momentum vector.
Our results illustrate that the influence of an inclined massive planet on a
protoplanetary disc can lead to significant changes of the disc structure and orientation which can in turn affect the orbital evolution of the planet significantly. A three-dimensional treatment of the disc is then essential in order to capture all relevant dynamical processes in the composite system.
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