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Disk Dispersal: Theoretical Understanding and Observational Constraints

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Abstract

Protoplanetary disks dissipate rapidly after the central star forms, on time-scales comparable to those inferred for planet formation. In order to allow the formation of planets, disks must survive the dispersive effects of UV and X-ray photoevaporation for at least a few Myr. Viscous accretion depletes significant amounts of the mass in gas and solids, while photoevaporative flows driven by internal and external irradiation remove most of the gas. A reasonably large fraction of the mass in solids and some gas get incorporated into planets. Here, we review our current understanding of disk evolution and dispersal, and discuss how these might affect planet formation. We also discuss existing observational constraints on dispersal mechanisms and future directions.

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Notes

  1. Hard X-rays: \(E\gtrsim1~\mbox{keV}\); Soft X-rays: \(\sim0.1\mbox{--}0.3~\mbox{keV}\); EUV: 13.6 eV–100 eV; FUV: 6–13.6 eV.

  2. \(G_{0}\) is the ratio of the FUV flux to its ambient value in the solar neighbourhood which is \(1.6 \times10^{-3}~\mbox{erg}\,\mbox{cm}^{-2}\,\mbox{s}^{-1}\) (Habing 1968).

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Acknowledgements

We thank ISSI for their kind invitation and our Chinese hosts for their hospitality during the workshop. U. Gorti acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation (NSF AST-1313003). Zs. Sándor thanks the support of the János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

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Correspondence to U. Gorti.

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Gorti, U., Liseau, R., Sándor, Z. et al. Disk Dispersal: Theoretical Understanding and Observational Constraints. Space Sci Rev 205, 125–152 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-015-0228-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-015-0228-x

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