Simulating the thermodynamics of gas, radiation, and multispecies dust. Method and applications to protoplanetary disks
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The thermodynamics of protoplanetary disks, governed by a complex interplay between gas, dust, and radiation, exerts a strong influence on their morphology and dynamics at both large and small scales. Historically, hydrodynamical simulations have treated thermodynamics with approximate prescriptions, such as local isothermality, parameterized β-cooling, and radiation hydrodynamics with gas-dust thermal equilibrium. However, a more comprehensive and self-consistent approach would more accurately reproduce the wealth of features found in observations, which in modern times have reached unprecedented spectral, angular, and vertical resolution. With this motivation, we devised a radiation-hydrodynamics scheme for the PLUTO code with energy exchange (via absorption, emission, and collisions) for gas, radiation, and multiple species of dust. Dust-gas dynamics are handled by treating each dust species as a pressureless, diffusive fluid, ensuring that our scheme can represent changes in disk illumination caused by grain settling and trapping. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our scheme in several test problems and conclude by discussing its relevance to open questions in protoplanetary disk studies.
Source: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,865
Funder: Flatiron Health
OpenAlex ID: W7214342343