Vertical structure of an astrophysical disk

The vertical structure of a thin disk is set by the balance among vertical gravity, pressure, self-gravity, magnetic forces, and motions of gas and solids.

In a reflection-symmetric astrophysical disk, the vertical mass coordinate measures mass per unit area above the midplane. It satisfies $dm=\rho dz$, so ${\partial }_m={\rho }^{-1}{\partial }_z$ inside the material. If the total surface density is $\Sigma$, the upper face is $m=\Sigma /2$; the normalized coordinate $\zeta =2m/\Sigma$ ranges from zero to one. Integrals weighted by mass density become ordinary integrals in $m$, which is especially useful for radiative diffusion and the density-weighted mean kinematic viscosity.

For a thin disk in the harmonic vertical gravitational potential ${\Omega }_K^2{z}^2/2$, hydrostatic equilibrium and $p=c_s^2\rho$ with height-independent isothermal sound speed give the displayed Gaussian density. For perturbations with adiabatic index $\gamma$, the Brunt–Väisälä frequency is $N^2=(1-1/\gamma ){\Omega }_K^2{z}^2/H^2$. An isothermal background can therefore support buoyancy for adiabatic perturbations; isothermal perturbations instead have $\gamma =1$ and zero buoyancy frequency.

A locally isothermal disk in vertically harmonic external gravity has hydrostatic equilibrium $c_s^2{\rho }_z=-{\Omega }_z^{2}z\rho$, hence $\rho ={\rho }_0{e}^{-z^2/(2H^2)}$ with $H=c_s/{\Omega }_z$. Because $c_s$ is independent of height, integrating $p=c_s^2\rho$ gives the displayed pressure. The harmonic-gravity approximation has the accuracy of the thin disk expansion.

In an inviscid locally isothermal Keplerian disk, a radial normal mode of wavenumber $k$ has pressure variable $\xi$ proportional to a Probabilists' Hermite polynomial in $x=z/H$. Gaussian-weighted finite energy excludes the exponentially growing vertical branch. Polynomial termination gives $n=0,1,\dots$ and the local dispersion relation $({\hat{\omega }}^2-n{\Omega }_K^2)({\hat{\omega }}^2-{\Omega }_K^2)=k^2{c}_s^2{\hat{\omega }}^2$, where $\hat{\omega }=\omega -m{\Omega }_K$. At singular values introduced by eliminating velocity components, the original equations must also be checked. The $n=0$ propagating branch is an inertial-acoustic wave; $n=1$ has vertically uniform vertical velocity and odd pressure perturbation, permitting bending disturbances.

For the $n=1$, $m=1$ Hermite vertical mode of an isothermal disk, the local dispersion relation is $[(\omega -{\Omega }_K{)}^2-{\Omega }_K^2{]}^2=k^2{c}_s^2(\omega -{\Omega }_K{)}^2$. Its low inertial-frame frequency branches satisfy $\omega \simeq \pm k{c}_s/2$. These waves transport a changing tilt of successive annuli, or a warp, with group velocity $\pm c_s/2$. The vertical velocity is approximately independent of height. A rigid tilt is the zero-wavenumber, zero-pattern-frequency limit; the gas still executes vertical orbital motion at frequency ${\Omega }_K$ in its rotating frame.

For constant positive $\lambda =p_r/p_g$ and molecular gas constant $\mathcal{R}=k/({\mu }_m{m}_p)$, the gas–radiation equation of state gives $\rho =4\sigma T^3/(3c\lambda \mathcal{R})$. Vertical hydrostatic equilibrium in harmonic central gravity therefore gives $T=T_0(1-z^2/H^2)$ with $T_0={\Omega }^2{H}^2/[8(1+\lambda )\mathcal{R}]$. The mass density and pressure powers are three and four. Integrating both faces yields $\Sigma =(32/35){\rho }_{0}H$ and $\int pdz=\Sigma {\Omega }^2{H}^2/9$. With constant opacity, radiative diffusion produces a linear flux and height-independent dynamic viscosity $\mu =4c\lambda /[9\kappa (1+\lambda )]$. This is an interior formal profile; its low-density surface requires a photospheric treatment beyond diffusion.

The time for a vertical pressure or gravity response. A sound-crossing time and a small vertical oscillation period have this scale in a thin disk. It need not equal a damping time.

In harmonic stellar gravity, an ideal gas with a polytropic equation of state of index $n>0$ has a quadratic temperature profile and finite semi-thickness $H^2=2(n+1)\mathcal{R}{T}_0/{\Omega }^2$. This differs from the polytropic vertical structure of a self-gravitating disk.

For positive finite opacity and nonvacuum ideal gas satisfying radiative diffusion, zero flux implies $dT/dz=0$. Write $P=\mathcal{R}\rho T$, where $\mathcal{R}=k_B/({\mu }_m{m}_p)$ for constant mean molecular weight ${\mu }_m$ in proton-mass units. If a polytropic equation of state $P=K{\rho }^{\gamma }$ with constant $K>0$ is also imposed, then $T=(K/\mathcal{R}){\rho }^{\gamma -1}$. For $\gamma \ne 1$, constant temperature would force constant density, contradicting vertical hydrostatic equilibrium $P^{\prime }=-\rho {\Omega }^{2}z$ on an open interval away from the midplane. The familiar finite polytropic slab for $\gamma >1$ is therefore a solution of the hydrostatic/adiabatic closure, not of this finite-opacity zero-radiative-flux system. For $\gamma =1$, the consistent isothermal profile is $\rho ={\rho }_m\exp [-{\Omega }^2{z}^2/(2\mathcal{R}{T}_m)]$, with no finite surface.

The disk scale height is the characteristic vertical thickness over which density or pressure decreases. Vertical hydrostatic balance in a thin Keplerian gas disk gives $H\simeq c_s/{\Omega }_K$.

The aspect ratio of an astrophysical disk is its vertical thickness scale divided by cylindrical radius. A thin disk has $H/r\ll 1$. In gas-supported vertical hydrostatic equilibrium with harmonic external gravity $-{\Omega }_z^{2}z$, $H/r\sim c_s/(r{\Omega }_z)$, where ${\Omega }_z$ is the vertical epicyclic frequency and $c_s$ is the sound speed. In a centrally dominated Keplerian disk, ${\Omega }_z=\Omega$, so this compares sound speed with orbital speed. If disk self-gravity supplies the vertical restoring force, the relation $H\sim c_s/\Omega$ requires replacement. A polytropic free-surface height and an isothermal scale height differ by model-dependent constants even though their aspect ratios have the same basic role.

A disk flares when its disk aspect ratio increases outward. This is stronger than the statement that its height increases: a disk with $H\propto r$ has constant aspect ratio and is not flaring by this definition. The radial temperature and surface density of a disk profiles determine flaring in a specified vertical equilibrium model.

Assume a passive disk has local isothermal sound speed squared $c_s^2=aT$, disk scale height $H=c_s/{\Omega }_K$, and irradiated height $z_s=fH$ with constant $f$. Its irradiation grazing angle of a disk and Stefan–Boltzmann law give $q^{\prime }=C{q}^8/R^3$ for $q=z_s/R$, where $C=4\pi \sigma (GM/a{)}^4/(L_{\ast }{f}^8)$. Integrating gives $q^{-7}=R_0^2/R^2+B$, with $R_0^2=7C/2$. Where the first term dominates and the thin disk assumptions hold, $q\simeq (R/R_0{)}^{2/7}$, $H\propto R^{9/7}$ and $T\propto R^{-3/7}$. The law cannot be extrapolated into a geometrically thick region using the same grazing-angle approximation.

The vertical epicyclic frequency is the frequency of a small vertical oscillation about a circular orbit. In an axisymmetric potential, ${\Omega }_z^2={\partial }_z^2\Phi$ at the midplane; in a spherical potential it equals the circular orbital frequency.

The radiation-to-gas pressure ratio compares radiation pressure with gas pressure. It is distinct from plasma beta, which compares gas pressure with magnetic pressure. Both are sometimes denoted by $\beta$, so the convention must be stated.

Assume a thin disk has height-independent opacity ${\kappa }_{\mathrm{op}}$ and radiation-to-gas pressure ratio $\beta$, with vertical gravity $-{\Omega }_z^{2}z$. Hydrostatic equilibrium and radiative diffusion implyBalancing its derivative against viscous heating $\rho \nu q^2{\Omega }^2$ fixes the dynamic viscosityIt is independent of height under these assumptions. For a spherically symmetric potential, ${\Omega }_z=\Omega$. Integrating $\rho \nu$ through the full surface-to-surface thickness $2H$ gives $\bar{\nu }\Sigma =2H\rho \nu$, which determines the thickness from the radial accretion rate solution.

Dust settling is the vertical drift of solid particles toward a disk's midplane under gravity and drag force. In the strong-drag limit, a particle with aerodynamic stopping time $\tau$ settles through a linear vertical gravitational field at rate ${\Omega }_z^2\tau$.

In homologous vertical motion, every height scales by one time-dependent thickness $H(t)$, so $z=H(t)\zeta$ and the vertical velocity is $u_z=\dot{H}\zeta$. A fixed dimensionless density profile then expands and contracts without changing shape.

A laminar column can contract through nearly hydrostatic equilibrium when its cooling time greatly exceeds its vertical dynamical timescale of a disk. For cooling $A{T}^{1+\beta }$ and fixed column mass, a similarity solution has $\rho \propto {\eta }^{-1}$, $T\propto {\eta }^2$, $P\propto \eta$, and vertical velocity $u_z=\dot{\eta }z/\eta$. The coefficient $C$ also depends on the initial mass density normalization.

The vertical breathing mode is a coherent oscillation of a disk's thickness. For an adiabatic gas with pressure proportional to $H^{1-\gamma }$ in a harmonic vertical potential, ${\omega }_H=\sqrt{\gamma +1}{\Omega }_z$.