Numerical experiments on the stability of preplanetary disks

Abstract

Gravitational stability of gaseous protostellar disks is relevant to theories of planetary formation. Stable gas disks favor formation of planetesimals by the accumulation of solid material; unstable disks allow the possibility of direct condensation of gaseous protoplanets. This paper presents the results of numerical experiments designed to test the stability of thin disks against large-scale, self-gravitational disruption. It is found that a disk as massive as 1 solar mass, surrounding a 1 solar mass protostar, can be stable against long-wavelength gravitational disruption if its temperature is about 300 K or greater. Stability of a cooler disk requires that it be less massive, but even at 100 K a stable disk can have an appreciable fraction (about 1/3) of a solar mass.