The formation and initial evolution of protostellar disks

Journal Article · Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Astrophysical Journal; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/169004· OSTI ID:6480018

Lin, D N.C.; Pringle, J E ^[1]

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1. California Univ., Santa Cruz (USA) Cambridge Univ. (England)

The formation and evolution of an accretion disk formed during the collapse of a rotating cloud core are considered. The effect of the usual turbulent alpha-viscosity as well as the effective viscosity due to self-gravitation in the disk are taken into account. For observed values of the cloud's initial rotation rates, and for reasonable estimates of the efficiency of the various processes, it is found that the disks so formed are large (radii several hundred to a few thousand AU), relatively massive (comparable in mass to the central star), and long-lived (tens of infall time scales). 71 refs.

• OSTI ID: 6480018
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Vol. 358; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ACCRETION DISKS
STAR EVOLUTION
PROTOSTARS
COSMIC GASES
GRAVITATIONAL COLLAPSE
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
ROTATION
FLUIDS
GASES
MOTION
SPACE
640102* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources