https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20134604005
The Short Circuit Instability in Protoplanetary Disks: Processing high temperature minerals
1 Dept. of Astrophysics, American
Museum of Natural History, CPW at
79th St., New York,
NY
10024
2 Max Planck Institute for
Astronomy, Konigstuhl
17, Heidelberg,
Germany
D-69117
3 Dept. of Astronomy, Columbia
University, 550 W 120th
St, New York,
NY
10027
4 Dept. of Earth and Planetary
Sciences, American Museum of Natural History, CPW at 79th St., New York, NY
10024
5 Niels Bohr International Academy,
Niels Bohr Institute, Blegdamsvej
17, 2100
Copenhagen,
Denmark
6 Centro De Radioastronomia y
Astrofisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, 58089, MICH, Mexico
a e-mail: hubbard@amnh.org
We introduce a magneto-hydrodynamic instability which occurs, among other locations, in the inner, hot regions of protoplanetary disks, and which alters the way in which resistive dissipation of magnetic energy into heat proceeds. This instability can be likened to both an electrical short circuit and lightning, as it concentrates the dissipation of magnetic energy by means of the enhanced release of free electrons. This instability can generate very high temperatures, making it an excellent candidate for thermally processing protoplanetary disk solids, from annealing silicates to melting chondrules or even CAIs.
© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2013
