Global calculations of density waves and gap formation in protoplanetary disks using a moving Mesh

Abstract

We calculate the global quasi-steady state of a thin disk perturbed by a low-mass protoplanet orbiting at a fixed radius using extremely high resolution numerical integrations of Euler's equations in two dimensions. The calculations are carried out using a moving computational domain, which greatly reduces advection errors and allows for much longer time steps than a fixed grid. We calculate the angular momentum flux and the torque density as a function of radius and compare them with analytical predictions. We discuss the quasi-steady state after 100 orbits and the prospects for gap formation by low-mass planets. © 2012 The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.