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Unraveling the turbulent structure of the terrestrial planet-forming region

Project description

Exploring the inner workings of protoplanetary discs

Understanding how planets form requires studying the chaotic inner regions of protoplanetary discs, where gas and dust swirl together to create new places. Turbulence in protoplanetary discs greatly affects how materials mix and evolve. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the InnerDisk project seeks to simulate the inner disc’s complex dynamics and thermochemical processes to uncover how turbulence shapes the environment where terrestrial planets emerge. The simulations will be linked to observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, which provides detailed infrared spectra of protoplanetary disc surfaces and reveals their molecular makeup. Project activities will help uncover how turbulence connects protoplanetary disc layers, alters inherited chemical compositions from the outer disc and creates natural substructures.

Objective

Modeling the highly dynamic inner ten au of protoplanetary disks is key to understanding the formation mechanism of solar systems. In particular, exploring the turbulent structure within such a region is crucial, as turbulence can have a substantial impact on how terrestrial planets form from the gas and dust of the disk. In my project, `InnerDisk: Unraveling the turbulent structure of the terrestrial planet forming region', I will develop a comprehensive multidimensional non-ideal magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the turbulent inner disk region. By coupling the dynamics of the disk's gas and dust to its thermochemical evolution, I will connect the simulation results to observations conducted by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). JWST has represented a significant leap in our access to the inner disk composition, delivering exquisite spectra at infrared wavelengths that probe the molecular inventory of the inner disk's surface. First, I will study how turbulent mixing connects the planet-forming disk's midplane to the disk surface, as observed by JWST. Second, I will explore the efficiency of the inner disk turbulence in erasing the chemical composition inherited from the outer disk. Third, I will investigate the impact of naturally occurring substructures induced by a turbulence transition on the inner disk chemical inventory. Achieving `InnerDisk' objectives will enable me to understand how the disk's turbulent structure is reflected in JWST spectra of the inner protoplanetary disk, informing us about the formation environment of terrestrial planets, while also contributing to a robust interpretation of JWST data.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Keywords

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF

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Coordinator

KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET
Net EU contribution
€ 247 553,28
Address
NORREGADE 10
1165 KOBENHAVN
Denmark
Region
Danmark Hovedstaden Byen København
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
No data