Importance of thermal diffusion in the gravomagnetic limit cycle

Abstract

We consider the role of thermal diffusion due to turbulence and radiation on accretion bursts that occur in protoplanetary discs which contain dead-zones. Using 1D viscous disc models, we show that diffusive radial transport of heat is important during the gravomagnetic limit cycle, and can strongly modify the duration and frequency of accretion outbursts. When the Prandtl number is large - such that turbulent diffusion of heat is unimportant - radial radiative diffusion reduces the burst duration compared to models with no diffusive transport of heat. When the Prandtl number is small ≲25, we find that turbulent diffusion dominates the radial transport of heat, reducing the burst duration to ≲103 yr as well as increasing the burst frequency. Furthermore, inclusion of radial transport of heat extends the range of infall rates under which the disc undergoes accretion bursts from 10-8 to 10-6 M⊙ yr-1 with no diffusion, to 10-8 to ≳10-4 M⊙ yr-1 with radiative and strong turbulent diffusion. The relative roles of radiative and turbulent thermal diffusion are likely to vary during an accretion burst, but simple estimates suggest that the expected Prandtl numbers are of the order of 10 in protoplanetary discs, and hence that turbulent diffusion is likely to be an important process during accretion outbursts due to the gravomagnetic limit cycle.