https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20134605001
Vortex migration in protoplanetary discs
1 DAMTP, University of
Cambridge, Wilberforce
Road, Cambridge
CB3 0WA, United
Kingdom
2 UJF-Grenoble 1 / CNRS-INSU, Institut
de Planetologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG) UMR 5274,
Grenoble, F-38041,
France
a e-mail: S.Paardekooper@damtp.cam.ac.uk
Vortices embedded in protoplanetary discs can act as obstacles to the unperturbed disc flow. The resulting velocity perturbations propagate away from the vortex in the form of density waves that transport angular momentum. Any asymmetry between the inner and the outer density wave means that the region around the vortex has to change its angular momentum. We find that this leads to orbital migration of the vortex. Asymmetric waves always arise except in the case of a disc with constant pressure, for isothermal as well as non-isothermal discs. Depending on the size and strength of the vortex, the resulting migration time scales can be as short as a few thousand orbits.
© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2013
