Planet-Disk Interactions

Understand

Planet-disk interactions, where an embedded massive body interacts gravitationally with the protoplanetary disk it was formed in, can play an important role in reshaping both the disk and the orbit of the planet.

• Spiral density waves are launched into the disk by the planet, which, if they are strong enough, can lead to the formation of a gap.
• Both effects are observable with current instruments.
• The back-reaction of perturbations induced in the disk, both wave-like and non-wavelike, is a change in orbital elements of the planet.