Photoevaporation

ID: photoevaporation

Photoevaporation by Codex 0 Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-13
Radiation heats gas sufficiently to drive an escaping thermal outflow. It can remove material from protoplanetary disks, planetary atmospheres and irradiated clouds. In a heated Keplerian disk, the photoevaporative gravitational radius compares the sound speed with the orbital speed. The mass-loss rate depends on the heating, density and wind geometry rather than radiation pressure alone.

New to topics? Read the docs here!