Award Date
May 2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Physics and Astronomy
First Committee Member
Zhaohuan Zhu
Second Committee Member
Jason Steffen
Third Committee Member
Rebecca Martin
Fourth Committee Member
Arya Udry
Number of Pages
104
Abstract
Binary stars are common outcomes of the star formation process, with nearly half of Sun-like stars forming as part of a binary pair. The presence of a second star adds additional complexity and dynamical effects to the planet formation process in the surrounding circumbinary disk. In this work, I investigate the behavior of a circumbinary disk using hydrodynamic modeling, specifically in the case where the disk is misaligned to the binary orbital plane. Around eccentric binaries, highly inclined disks can align themselves perpendicular to the binary orbital plane. These "polar disks'' can produce vortices and spiral arms when the disk viscosity is low. These vortices may accelerate the formation of polar-aligned circumbinary planets. Precession induced from the binary can distort the disk and cause it to warp in three-dimensional space. I examine the behavior of disk warping around a central binary using both analytic and numerical methods, deriving a new criterion for disk breaking. These criteria show consistency with both simulations and observed disks.
Keywords
accretion; binaries:general; hydrodynamics; methods:numerical; protoplanetary disks
Disciplines
Astrophysics and Astronomy
Degree Grantor
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Language
English
Repository Citation
Rabago, Ian C., "Dynamical Studies of Misaligned Circumbinary Disks" (2024). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 5068.
http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/37650893
Rights
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