Institute for Advanced Study Informal Astrophysics Seminar

The dynamics of circumplanetary disks (CPDs), mini disks formed around protoplanets embedded in their natal protoplanetary disks, is expected to regulate how the planets accrete solids and gas, as well as how satellite systems are formed. Previous work have looked into the 3D dynamics of CPDs, but the limited parameter space explored and the lack of consensus on numerical parameters, such as resolution, have led to disagreeing reports on CPD rotation rates and masses. Using the hydro codes PEnGUIn and Athena++, we perform 3D hydrodynamics simulations and systematically sample the parameter space to obtain measurements of CPD rotation rates and masses as functions of planet mass, in both the isothermal and adiabatic limits. These two limits bracket the thermal evolution of the planet, providing some insight into how the 3D dynamics changes as the planet cools. We find significant 3D flow and rotational support for all planet masses in the isothermal limit, leading to a density structure that is not characterized by hydrostatic balance. I will describe these results in detail and discuss their implications for planet accretion, especially on how they may impact our current understanding of gas giant formation.