Evolution of protoplanetary disk structures

Abstract In this chapter, we review the general properties of protoplanetary disks and how the gaseous and solid components contained within evolve. We focus on the models that are currently used to describe them while highlighting the successes that these models have had in explaining the properties of disks and primitive materials in our Solar System. We close with a discussion of the open issues that must be addressed by future research in order to develop fully our understanding of protoplanetary disk structures. 

In order to understand fully the evolution of protoplanetary disks, it is necessary to develop an understanding of the dynamics and evolution of both the gas and solids that they contain. The detailed evolution of these components are often discussed separately, largely owing to our incomplete understanding of the processes involved. In introducing the different concepts in this chapter, we too will treat these components separately in order to present a clear picture of the fundamental processes that are believed to be at work. We will discuss the feedback that takes 

Among the first attempts to determine the structure of a protoplanetary disk were studies by Weidenschilling (1977b) and Hayashi (1981) who reconstructed the solar nebula based on the mass of solids that was left behind in the form of planets and asteroids. By taking the mass of each planet and distributing it across its feeding zone to form a smooth distribution, these authors then added the amount of hydrogen and helium needed at each location to produce a solar composition. This structure represents the least amount of material needed to form the Solar System, and thus was termed the minimum mass solar nebula (MMSN), which was described by  

While the MMSN provides insight into a plausible structure of the solar nebula, the concept can be a bit misleading. The MMSN is assumed to be a purely passive disk, and issues such as disk evolution and solid transport, both of which are discussed at length in this chapter, were not considered in developing these models 

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The masses, sizes, and overall structure of protoplanetary disks are important to quantify as they set the total amount and the distribution of planet-forming materials. However, over time disks evolve and the dust contained within is transported, processed, and accreted into larger bodies. This evolution plays a critical role in determining both the physical and chemical properties of the dust, and by extension, of the planets that will eventually form. 

There is an extensive bibliography regarding protoplanetary disks and their evolution (Williams and Cieza 2011), structure (Dullemond and Monnier 2010) and composition (Wood 2008). For this reason, in Sect. 6.1 a brief introduction of the science behind the circumstellar disks focusing on the disk properties around the far infrared frequency range is given. In Sect. 6.2 a simulation of a circumstellar disk is presented. This simulated disk is fed to the instrument simulator FllnS, and the obtained results are described in Sect. 6.3 for both an ideal instrument and for a more realistic instrument. 

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